Dictionaries make it easy for Mac OS 9 and Windows refugees to look up a traditional feature-and find out where it went in Mac OS X 10.3. As always, Mac OS X: The Missing Manual offers warm, witty writing, and bursts with the shortcuts, surprises, and design touches that make the Mac the most passionately championed computer in the world. I first reviewed Mac OS X: The Missing Manual exactly a year ago, in which time Mac OS X has changed considerably. The inevitable release of version 10.2, code-named Jaguar, brought a much-hyped myriad of changes, additions, and improvements to the operating system, and has prompted a much-needed update to its counterpart in the Missing Manual series. Mac OS X: The Missing Manual also covers each of the control panels and bonus programs that comes with Mac OS X, including iTunes, Mail, Sherlock, and Apache, the built-in Web-server. For Mac users who have become accustomed to the older Mac OS, Appendix A, the 'Where'd It Go?' Dictionary, may be worth the price of the book all by itself. Emmastory writes 'I finally (finally) picked up Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. I've been meaning to grab it since I first heard that David Pogue wrote a book on OS X; I've been a fan of his for a while. I remember reading his stuff in Macworld - on System 7, even - when someone gave me a subscripti.
David Pogue is a well known author of a whole series of computer and other technical books. His latest book “Mac OS X: The Missing Manual” was published about 2 months ago in assosiation with O’Reilly.The book is written with the mindset of a “manual” for MacOSX, as these days less and less software in general, are shipping with printed manuals. However, the tone of the writting is light and Pogue has some good taste humour and at the right doses. All in all, reading the book was very relaxing, interesting and not boring at all.
The book starts with explaining how to use the GUI in general, but you still end up learning some special characteristics or key combinations on MacOSX that are not well known to the most of the Mac users. I liked his lengthy explanation on what is the difference between Carbon and Cocoa and how you can distinguish if an application is built with either APIs. It is important to know about it, as some different GUI controls and features are existing into these applications created with either the toolkits.
The book continues explaining how to use the included applications and utilities, and even goes as far as introducing AppleScript. On Part 4 things are getting a bit more advanced where networking and more advanced graphics and multimedia-related topics are discussed. There is even an introduction to the Terminal and Bash.
The book is a good overview of MacOSX. At places it is shallow, but at other places it is more in-depth. This book will appeal a lot for the people who just want to learn basic use of MacOSX, no matter if they come from MacOS 9 or Windows. However, if you are coming over from UNIX, this book will only help you on learning the GUI, as no real administration of Apache, mySQL, XFree or other advanced Unix-oriented software is discussed.
In general, if you are not the Ultimate Power User or a “hacker”, this book is for you. If you are, probably you will have already figure out everything included in the book by yourself…
Overall:8 / 10
Buy “Mac OS X: The Missing Manual“ at Amazon.com for less |
Mac Os X Installer Download
Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual
David Pogue
Pogue Press/O’Reilly Associates
ISBN 0-596-52952-X
Price: US $34.99
(Check online sites for reduced pricing)
893 pages
http://missingmanuals.com/
David Pogue’s latest endeavor, Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual has built upon all of his previous versions and his experience in working with Macs. This is what should come in the box with your Mac. Everything you need to know or would like to know about Leopard is in this book.
Mr. Pogue has broken this manual down into six basic sections; The Mac OS X Desktop, Programs in Mac OS X, Components of Mac OS X, The Technologies of Mac OS X, Mac OS Online and the final section, the Appendixes, four of them, plus he even throws in a Master Mac OS X keystroke list. To give you an idea of just what he covers in the book, here is a quick breakdown.
Part One (The Mac OS X Desktop) covers Folders, Organizing, Spotlight, the Dock, Desktop and Toolbars.
Part Two (Programs in Mac OS X) covers Documents, Time Machine, Syncing, Moving Data, Automator and AppleScript and Windows on a Mac.
Part Three (The Components of Mac OS X) covers System Preferences, Free Programs (what programs come standard with all Macs like the Address Book, AppleScript, etc.), CDs, DVDs and iTunes.
Part Four (The Technologies of Mac OS X) deals with Accounts, Parental Controls and Security, Networking, File Sharing, Screen Sharing, Printing, Faxing, Fonts and Graphics, Sound, Movies and Speech, the Unix Crash Course, and Hacking Mac OS X.
Part Five (Mac OS Online) works its way through Internet Setup, Mail and the Address Book, Safari, iChat, SSH, FTP, VPN and Web Sharing.
The final part, the Appendixes, covers Installing Mac OS X 10.5 from getting ready to install to Uninstalling Mac OS X 10.5, then into Troubleshooting, the Windows-to-Mac Dictionary and finally, Where to Go after you’ve read the manual.
The nice thing about Mr. Pogue’s Missing Manuals is that they cover the bases for the beginner-to-advanced Mac user, sometimes with a sense of humor, sometimes just directly with the information that is needed to get things up and running properly. It’s not “dumbed-down” nor is it “techo-geek”; instead it just works the way a manual really should. The book provides for first time users by displaying sidebar pieces called “Up To Speed” that give the first time user the basic, introductory information to get started. If you’re a veteran Mac user, he still provides for you by sidebars called “Power Users Clinics” with more detailed information. Another thing to notice is that Mr. Pogue starts you off with the information on Mac OS X 10.5, then almost at the end tells you how to install the OS on your Mac. This give you the background and basis for dealing with anything that may pop up when you do so, and give you a head start if you’re a new user. He makes good use of screen shots to emphasize points to make things easy to understand if the reader has a problem with a particular tip or section. You’ll discover something new every time you pick up the book and it’s a great resource to have on hand.
In the previous version of the Missing Manual (Panther), Mr. Pogue briefly covered the UNIX underpinnings of Mac OS X, roughly 20 pages worth. This edition has been expanded to almost 50 pages, including a section covering 20 useful UNIX utilities that can be of use to the Mac user. The book itself is a bit changed from the previous versions in its expanded tips for Power Users.
Now, when you’ve finished reading the book, and you get to the back cover, there is a drawing of the Missing CD-ROM that didn’t come with the book that shaved $5.00 off the cost. You’ll find instructions to go to http://www.missingmanuals.com and then to click on the Missing CD icon. Once there, you will find links to sites containing additional software that Mr. Pogue covers in the book.
Mac Os X History
At times, I’m amazed at what Mr. Pogue can come up with in the way of tips for the reader. As an example, if you go here you will discover “5 Tips and Tricks” put forth by Mr. Pogue. Check out the tip on Mosaic, part of the screensaver program for the Mac. I tried it out and was amazed, I know that I hadn’t seen or read that before.
As I have before, I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s well written and covers what a Mac user needs to know to work with OS X Leopard. As has been stated in the past with Mr. Pogue’s other Missing Manual books- this is a definite must-have for Mac OS X users! Check it out online or at your favorite bookstore!
Mac Os X Update
Highly Recommended!
My Mac Rating: 5 out of 5