Web Security, Privacy & Commerce, 2nd Edition

History and Acknowledgments

In June 1991, O’Reilly & Associates published our first book, Practical Unix Security. The book was 450 pages and contained state-of-the-art information on securing Unix computers on the Internet. Five years later, we published the revised edition of our book, now entitled Practical Unix & Internet Security. During the intervening years, the field of computer security had grown substantially. Not surprisingly, so had our page count. The new volume was 1000 pages long.

In 1996, our editor Debby Russell suggested that we create a revised version of Practical Unix & Internet Security that was aimed at the growing community of web users and service providers. But because the book was already so long, we decided to write a new book that would focus on SSL encryption, client-side digital signature certificates, and special issues pertaining to electronic commerce. That book, Web Security and Commerce, was published in 1997.

In the spring of 2000, Debby approached us again, asking if we would like to rewrite either of the security books. We looked them over and started on this project. Originally we thought that we would simply remove the material from Web Security and Commerce that was no longer relevant—alternatives that had been rejected by the marketplace. And certainly, some screen shots and configuration information needed to be revised. But as we looked more deeply at the project, we realized that a total rewrite and a significant expansion of the book ...