We’re kicking off our work here at OSR Press with a How To series of publications. The intention of this series is to present complex software engineering topics in an informal, easy-to-read format. Each book in the How To series is based on real-world examples that provide the foundation for exploring a technology. These examples, and their accompanying detailed explanations, provide practical information that will get you working with a technology quickly while avoiding common problems and pitfalls.

Don’t expect exhaustive, 700-page, definitive tomes—you can wait until MS Press releases our Vista driver book if that’s your thing. The How To series will strive to deliver in half that number of pages. The hands-on format will hit home with driver developers eager to do rather than read.

The first book to be released in this series is Introduction to the Windows Driver Foundation: Kernel Mode Driver Framework but stay tuned for others. While these books will never replace the soup-to-nuts complete reference guides that everyone likes to have on the shelf "just in case," we think this format will be very popular amongst the development community.

These are the books you know and love, but just aren't available anymore. Classic texts in the Windows driver development space that are still in need, and still have an interested audience, but just don't have the interest from a mass-market publisher. Enter OSR.

Now available is the classic file system developer's guide, Windows NT File System Internals, authored by Rajeev Nagar and originally made available through O'Reilly Publishing. This licensed reprint of the original text is available thanks to the demand for it from the Windows file system development community, and its redeeming value to this complex development space. There are future plans for an update to the content of this book.

After a brief hiatus, the best-selling Windows device driver book of all time is now back in print! OSR Press is now pleased to re-introduce Windows NT Device Driver Development, as part of the OSR Classic Reprints collection. These books are now in-stock and available for purchase. Please visit the OSR Online Store for more information.

As always, we've got a host of ideas in the works... some we can share, and some that will have to wait, for now. Here's a little of what you can expect from OSR Press in the days to come:

• We are soliciting both ideas and works from the driver development community on topical information where there is a publication need that is not being met. Got something to share? Email us at Press@osr.com and let us know!

OSR Press is dedicated to delivering definitive books and periodicals in a timely manner to the community it serves. We’re sure you’ll agree that there are many important and complex technology spaces within the Windows driver development community that just don’t get the attention deserved. While everyone is resource-constrained, there’s just no excuse for not pushing ourselves and others to change this.

Naturally, one of the biggest obstacles in getting publications out there is the publishing industry itself. Ever wonder why you don’t see books on writing NDIS drivers or graphics/display drivers, or example-based topical books on specific technologies? We really can’t blame the big publishers—after all, there’s little money in an audience the size of the Windows driver development community for a general book on driver development, much less topical in-depths.

OSR has always tried to stay at the forefront of seeking out and providing needed information to the Windows driver development community, whether it provides a tremendous financial return or not. This began with the introduction of The NT Insider more than 10 years ago—a publication we are continually proud to be able to generate and deliver to 13,000 subscribers worldwide. We followed this up a few years later with the first comprehensive book on writing drivers for the Windows NT “family” of operating systems— Windows NT Device Driver Development . Our work then continued with the unveiling of OSR Online—a comprehensive “portal” for a larger collection of Windows driver development resources that grows every year in content, and in participation (we now have over 20,000 members worldwide).

The question isn't why OSR started OSR Press; it's what will we think of next?

• You have questions, and we have answers. Be sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions about OSR Press.