Safari(R) Books Online Launches New Rough Cuts Service; Readers Get Early Access to Works-in-Progress on Cutting-Edge Technologies Before Books Are Published.

SEBASTOPOL, Calif. -- Readers everywhere now have the opportunity to get an exclusive sneak peak into the latest books covering new technologies with Safari's(R) Rough Cuts service. Launched today by Safari(R) Books Online, LLC, a joint venture between technology publishers O'Reilly Media, Inc. and Pearson Technology Group, a division of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO), the beta version of the new Rough Cuts service gives readers online access to works-in-progress, before they're published as print books.

Readers who buy a Rough Cuts title get immediate access to an evolving manuscript. They can read the book online or download and print a PDF version. The initial version of a Rough Cuts book will not be fully edited, subjected to final technical review, or completely formatted. Similar to the nightly build in a software project, the Rough Cuts PDF is updated every time the author and editor make changes as they progress toward the finished book. Using the Rough Cuts service's built-in Notes feature, readers can send feedback, suggestions, bug fixes, and comments directly to the author and editor.

"Rough Cuts is an important initiative in the evolving nature of Safari," said Sean Devine, general manager of Safari Books Online. "We are using the power of the Web to bring more current information from expert authors to our users. Our users don't want to have to wait until a book is published to get answers to their questions, especially when it comes to emerging technologies. Rough Cuts begins to solve that problem."

Four O'Reilly titles are available now, and up to eight additional Rough Cuts books from both O'Reilly and Pearson Technology Group will be added in the first quarter of 2006. The inaugural Rough Cuts titles share a focus on hot emerging technologies: Ajax Hacks, Flickr Hacks, Ruby on Rails: Up and Running, and Ruby Cookbook. Among many titles coming from Pearson Technology Group this quarter are: Macs on the Go, Real World Adobe Creative Suite 2, Secrets of Videoblogging, Imagination Challenge and ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed.

"Since we launched the Safari platform in 2000, we've been driven by a vision of bringing the Web's most compelling capabilities -- search, remix, collaborative development, and automatic update -- to our online books," said Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media. "The Rough Cuts service is a major step forward in that quest, one that propels the online book into the Web 2.0 world."

"Rough Cuts not only provide early digital access to our future best sellers," says John Isley, President and CEO of Pearson Technology Group, "it also connects readers with expert authors on technical topics important in advancing their careers and education."

A Rough Cuts title typically becomes available two to six months prior to a book's publication. It is updated as the author and technical reviewers progress, so users have access to new versions as they are created. Readers have three purchase options through Rough Cuts program: buy the online version, at a substantial discount from the suggested retail price for the print book; buy both the Rough Cuts and, when it is released, the print book at a special package price; or place an advance order for just the finished book at a pre-publication discount. For more information about the Rough Cuts service and registration for the program, please visit http://my.safaribooksonline.com/roughcuts.

About Safari Books Online

Safari Books Online (www.safaribooksonline.com) is a joint venture between O'Reilly Media, Inc., and the Pearson Technology Group. Safari's flagship service, Safari Tech Books Online, is the premier electronic reference library for programming and IT departments. Unlike an online bookstore, Safari is a fully searchable database of the electronic versions of books from O'Reilly and Pearson's many imprints: Addison-Wesley Professional, Adobe Press, Cisco Press, New Riders, Peachpit Press, Prentice Hall PTR, Sun Microsystems Press, Que, and Sams. Safari's portfolio includes four additional electronic reference libraries: Safari Bookshelf for individual technologists, Safari HelpDesk Online for enterprise knowledge workers, Safari Business Books Online for business professionals, and Safari Enterprise Library.

About O'Reilly Media

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazine, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly has been a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

About Pearson Technology Group

With the most trusted and recognized brands in the computing arena, Pearson Technology Group, a division of Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com), and part of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO), is the world's leading publisher of books and learning materials focused on advancing the skills of technical, business, creative and professional computing consumers. Pearson Technology Group is home to such renowned publishing brands as Addison-Wesley, Adobe Press, Apple Certified, Cisco Press, New Riders Publishing, Peachpit Press, Prentice Hall, Que Publishing, and Sams Publishing. Pearson Technology Group is a leader in online publishing through http://www.informit.com.