Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.91 You Save: $28.08 (80%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.45 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual
Book Review: Learn and Laugh: A Computer Manual that Cares Enough Not to Bore You
Summary: 5 Stars
David Pogue is a great technical writer - he can take complex subjects and boil them down to their most essential elements. His reviews and commentaries in The New York Times are always useful, clear and incisive. Which isn't surprising - the NY Times doesn't hire slackers.
Even better, Pogue has a sense of humor, and he's not afraid to use it. A minority of reviewers here on Amazon have suggested they'd prefer Pogue never crack a joke, but, for me, his occasional witty asides enliven his work greatly. This book is 912 pages long, but you can sit and read it cover-to-cover, because Pogue imbues his work with personality and humor.
Of course, Pogue brings his gift for instruction along with the funny. This book is overflowing with helpful tips and clear-headed explanations.
I'm coming to the Mac after years of using Windows machines at a pretty high level. But after my second Vista PC in ten months self-destructed, I find I can no longer support the Microsoft empire. This book has helped me tremendously with my transition.
As a podcaster and writer, I depend upon my computer to always be up and running. Macs have a reputation for stability, but they're not perfect either. I bought Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual not only because I wanted to get the most out of the OS, but because I needed a resource to help when things went wrong, as they invariably will.
It's already helped me once. True story: I had a weird thing happen with my Finder where I could no longer see the file structure on the left. That made it very difficult to navigate my folders. I went to the Apple Store with a print-out of what I was seeing on my screen, and they had no idea what the problem was. So, I opened up and had my answer in minutes (turns out there's a "classic Finder mode" you can toggle on and off. Mine was erroneously toggled on).
The people in the Apple Store are experts, but apparently, with this book, you can be expert, too. It's a great resource and I give it my highest recommendation.
Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery
Book Review: Good General Knowledge, but Trouble-Shooting Help Was Disappointing!
Summary: 3 Stars
I was able to find information that was generally useful in this tome, but each and every time I attempted to use "...Missing Manual" for trouble-shooting Leopard on a new 2008 Release Mac Pro, I was sorely disappointed. It's strange, but items for which I searched in the Index were never referenced.
I understand that no book will be a hand-holding, interactive trouble-shooter for each and every problem, but this book has - so far - considerably missed in being a trouble-shooting aid.
There is a nice keyboard shortcuts lists on page 863 and explanations for applications that come with Leopard - Dock, Safari, Finder, Dictionary, Expose, etc. I feel it falls short on hard-core trouble-shooting.
I did not get to the website, which is also a very nice feature of this manual - the always updated website of additional information.
I think a person looking for more advanced and detailed information might want to search elsewhere - maybe Chris Siebold's Big Book of Apple Hacks: Tips & Tools for unlocking the power of your Apple devices (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)), Meyers' and Lee's Mac OS X Leopard: Beyond the Manual (Btm (Beyond the Manual)), Mac OS X Leopard Bible by Samuel Litt and others, or Brian Tieman's Mac OS X Leopard Phrasebook (Developer's Library).
If Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual is targeted to advance users and trouble-shooters, I really, really think improvement is in order. By any chance, the Index is telling and should be revisited.
Book Review: Excellent, thorough but misses bugs and gothca's
Summary: 4 Stars
David Pogue is one of my favorite technology writers; I read all his NYTimes columns and frequently his blogs.
He shows his skills and knowledge here; the "Leopard" book is an excellent reference (as is the related iMovie/iDVD missing manual). It is thorough without being dry, is accessible enough to pull off the near-impossible of being useful to newcomers, "migrators", and long-time Mac users. It is also pragmatic, rather than being a feature list. The index is well done.
I'd recommend this book for anyone using or about to use Mac OS X.
I have one criticism: Pogue is a Mac-cheerleader and thus his book doesn't truly fulfill the promise that an "independent manual" would in telling you about the problems, bugs, and gotcha's the manufacturer doesn't want to admit exist. For example, Pogue claims the Mac OS doesn't lock up. Well, that's simply not true; within days after getting my MacBook Pro with OS X 10.5 it locked up simply importing into iTunes, requiring a hard-reboot. After which it wouldn't even recognize a USB drive, forcing another restart. How do you fix a corrupted file in iTunes? Is there a work-around for TimeMachine's problems backing up MS Entourage files (it's one large DB, and TimeMachine can't do incremental back-ups)?; TimeMachine can't do a full image restore (unlike MS Vista's back-up), and can NOT work across a NETWORK -- all HUGE, HUGE flaws. Are there work-arounds or is this a showstopper for real back-up? I know this is a manual, not a review, but tips in dealing with bugs are among the most valuable insights, and those are too few here IMHO.
Still, an excellent book.
Book Review: Learning the bells and whistles
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought my first Mac in abut 1984 and have upgraded to the latest model at least a dozen times. I got my first version of OSX when the beta was made available and have moved up to each new version as it was released. I have used Macs and PCs at home and work since the first Apple II. So I would say that I was an experienced user.
Having said that, I find there is a lot that I do not know. Leopard OSX has what seems like a million features, many of which are not obvious. David Pogue has put together a compendium of those features for those who do not want to spend their life seeking them out. Pogue's is knowledgeable and his writing is organized, straight forward and easy to read. Working your way through this book should increase your proficiency using Leopard and can make that use a lot easier.
On the downside, the book is large reflecting the number of features to be covered and can be intimidating. The programs that come with the operating system like Safari and Mail get only a page or two and the details are relegated to another "Missing Manual". There is a large amount of information making it difficult to remember all the capabilities or even the ones you are most likely to use. It is best to try them as you come across them and to take notes.
The book is a good one for beginners, for those who are ready for more of the details and features as well as more experienced users wanting to maximize their use of the OS. I have read his books for the previous versions of OSX and still find this one useful. I think it is the best on the subject.
Book Review: Best computer technical manual I have ever purchased
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a computer professional and have many different certifications that I have pursued for the pure enjoyment and accomplishment of of learning new things. Over the years I have acquired A+, Network+, MCSE, CNA, and CCA and for all of these certifications I have purchased books for self study.
I don't give you this information to brag, since many people have done far more than I, but to let you know that I have read quite a few technical books. I have probably read 40-50 computer books over the years and this book is the best that I have ever read. The author (David Pogue) is very thorough. He covers the OS in very great detail from What's new in Leopard, Folders and Windows, Unix command line, the iLife apps, and Hacking the Mac, amongst others. Every topic that I needed to learn regarding OS X was readily available and easy to find.
Mr. Pogue has included historical information that provides background about the development of the MAC OS, but it is more than just history, he uses it to explain design choices as well. This really helps know the WHY's as well as the hows. I really appreciate that and it helps to understand the reasoning behind Apple's design choices.
This book is great for new computer users, but also for people that really like to get "under the hood" of the OS and learn the nitty gritty details. I highly recommend this book.