It was with a heavy heart that I made the decision not to participate in writing Pro Spring 2.5. I am deeply thankful that Jan was around to pick up this book and run with it. Pro Spring has been a big part of my life for over three years, and I didn't relinquish the reins lightly. When Juergen and I set out working on Spring Framework 2.0, I knew that I wouldn't have the time to participate in the writing process and write the software at the same time. Fortunately, Jan was there to step into the breach. Jan and Apress had additionally planned to release Pro Spring 2.0, but Juergen and I...