I got a response back today from O’Reilly press:
-------------------------8<-----------------------
Nicholas-
I am the executive editor at O’Reilly for the Open Source group. You’re
proposal idea was passed to me. We’ve been looking at publishing a title
for Linux game programmers, but are interested at looking at other
components of the game programming realm. I’m still trying to get a
handle on the game programming market.
-------------------------8<-----------------------
Anyways, there are some questions to be filled out. I am working on those as
fast as I can. One issue remains a co-author, so I will be asking a few
people independantly if they’d be interested.
This is good news, and very encouraging.
One teensy bit of advice concerning this (to anyone who’s interrested)…
I had been courting a couple of places with a Linux game programming book
I had been working on (had gotten at around 200 pgs before giving up). My
experience was that many of the publishers out there really don’t know
what to reasonably expect from a Linux gaming book. In my case, I felt the
impression that those I was in contact with may have had some unrealistic
expectations of the end result (for example, coverage of several different
APIs, mechanics and physics of game play, networking, porting from
Windows, etc. and all in both 2D and 3D. It seems they want the text to be
both introductory as well as comprehensive… which is always something
very difficult to do).
Anyway… I’m sure someone will finally be able to get a book out with a
bit more narrow focus, and after that, it will be easier to convince
publishers what topics need to be covered and what dont. The first
technical book for any new(ish) area is always a difficult thing to get
out.
Bit of editorializing: IMHO, I think a book on SDL alone, covering
everything from OpenGL in SDL, Audio, 2D SDL, events, networking, GUI,
etc. would be very important to Linux Gaming. Then, after something such
as this comes out, other books covering ClanLib, Crystal Space, or
supplimental SDL (covering topics individually or together) would be very
prudent.
I mean, if you think about it, there are quite a few highly informative
texts for DirectX alone. They often don’t cover more general topics (such
as OpenGL) or even address other items (such as glide). It seems to me
that with all the development and respect SDL has obtained (largely due to
Loki) that an SDL specific book would be ideal.
(I know my opinion is nothing new, and is likely shared by many others on
this list… but I wanted to voice it none-the-less 
(Maybe instead of going through a dedicated publisher, some of us should
get together and publish the book ourselves… deciding wholy on its
content instead of trying to appease publishers who may or may not know
entirely what’s happenning in the Linux gaming market…
…naw… that’s just cooky).On Thu, 25 May 2000, Nicholas Vining wrote:
–
Sam Hart http://www.physics.arizona.edu/~hart/
Web Page Highlights: Video Game History, Black Hole Simulation, & more.
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