PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Colophon

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The animal on the cover of PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition, is a scallop. The scallop is part of the pecten family, which includes other bivalve mollusks such as clams and oysters. Also called the fan shell or comb shell, scallops can be found on the sandy bottoms of most oceans, in both deep and shallow water. Scallops do not usually stay attached to rocks. Instead, they either rest on the ocean bottom or swim by rapidly opening and closing their shells. The water ejected by the movement pushes them forward and allows them a freedom of movement unusual in bivalves.

The scallop’s shell is made up of calcium carbonate and other minerals embedded in an organic matrix secreted from a layer of tissue called the mantle. The upper and lower halves of the shell connect at a straight hinge line that can measure from one to six inches. The shell’s paired valves have sharp edges and undulating ridges that radiate out in the shape of a fan and range in color from red to purple, orange, yellow, or white.

Emily Quill was the production editor and proofreader for PC Hardware in a Nutshell , Second Edition. Jeff Holcomb and Jane Ellin provided quality control. Mary Brady, Tatiana Diaz, Matt Hutchinson, Sue Willing, Julie Flanagan, David ...