New Release of "Learning CFEngine 3"

Aug 30, 2017 · 3 minute read · Comments

It has finally happened: a new release of “Learning CFEngine 3” is here!

Short version

• The book is no longer published by O’Reilly Media - the new release is published directly by me, and distributed through Amazon as a Kindle ebook, available now. It is also available at a lower price (US$9.99) than the previous release.

• The book now has an index! This has been a very frequent request since the book was first released.

• The book will also be available for free in this website! Over the next few weeks, I will publish it one chapter at a time.

• This release is still focused on CFEngine 3.5.2 (just like the last O’Reilly release), but being self-published, it will receive much more frequent updates as I update it for the most recent releases of CFEngine.

You can get the new release from Amazon immediately (disclaimer: affiliate link): Learning CFEngine 3: Automated System Administration for Sites of Any Size

Long version

Read on if you want the full, juicy details about the new release and the change of publisher.

Over the last few years, O’Reilly has shifted its focus from being primarily a book publisher, to being a much more diverse media publisher – its conferences, videos, tutorials, etc. have become just as important, if not more, than its books. The change was made official when O’Reilly announced that it was stopping the direct distribution of books, ebooks and videos, but it’s a shift many years in the making.

Since last year, O’Reilly decided they would no longer publish new releases of “Learning CFEngine 3”, but at my request, agreed to revert the rights of the book back to me. This means that I can self-publish the book, but I can no longer use the O’Reilly design elements, including the animal in the cover (I consider the current cover to be temporary, and am actively looking for a new cover design). However, among other things, it also means that I can make the book’s content available for free, which is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have decided to make the full ebook available now, but over the next few weeks, I will publish the chapters of the book in this website. Stay tuned!

The departure from O’Reilly has been an extremely amicable one. O’Reilly is an amazing publisher, and it was always a pleasure working with them. I will always be particularly grateful to my editor, Andy Oram, who helped and supported me through the whole process, from the initial conception of the book until the rights reassignment a few weeks ago.

Why release the book now, before updating its contents to newer versions of CFEngine? The most important reason is: to get it out. I’ve been slowly working on updating the content, but I wanted to get the self-publishing process done, and to make the index available, which I think is a great resource for anyone reading the book. I have also fixed many of the errata in the last release of the book. Eventually I will produce a paperback version of the book, but only after I update the contents. If you want a paper version of the book, you can still get the O’Reilly release from Amazon and other book vendors. If you are a Safari Books Online subscriber, you can read also find it there.

I hope you enjoy this new release. I look forward to hearing from you! Please talk to me in the comments below, or send me a message.