Mac OS X: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
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Book Reviews of Mac OS X: The Missing Manual
Book Review: The most HELPFUL book I've ever read on an OS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first started reading this book several months ago, and it's clearly a great book. I've learned so much from it. My dad bought it for himself (to use it with his quicksilver powermac G4), but it's currently hiding in my room for quick reference when I need it (right next to my G4 flatscreen iMac). I've spent many years playing around on Mac computers, even back when I was the silly little 3 year old jacking around in Macpaint and SmartArt back in the good old days of the original 128k Macintosh. My family has had at least 10 or 15 different Macintoshes that we've used over the years, so many that I can't count them all. However, it was only my dad who ever really did anything related to troubleshooting and messing around with the system folder, & the control panels (otherwise known as the system prefs in OS X now). Then, my dad got a PowerMac G4. The differences boggled my mind (I was still using the Family Mac- "Kansas"- that old slow PowerMac 8600 running OS 9 with only 72 MB of RAM!) I was amazed at how incredibly efficient OS X really is, but I couldn't navigate my way out of a paperbag while working around in it (seemingly odd for someone who's been experiencing the joy of Macintosh for 16 years now- ever since I was a little kid) lol. I remember the first time I saw the dock on my dad's computer. I clicked into a few folders, to launch Netscape 4.76 (which made classic start up), and I had no idea what classic was and I was just using dad's computer because the family mac was having problems. Then, I tried to click on a link that was in the bottom part of the page in Netscape, & the Dock pops up. I was like "What the Hell is THAT THING?!?!?!?" So I eventually learned the basics of OS X from my dad, but I needed something else to fill me in with all of the possibilities and details that he didn't cover on. Soon enough, as weird as it seems (because my dad usually isn't the kind of person who would do this), but he bought new computers for me and my sister. I got a 15" flatscreen iMac, and my sister got a G3 iBook. And I didn't know my way around the thing too terribly well. So I searched around in my dad's book collection (a good place to start...hehe), and this is the book I found. "OS X: The Missing Manual" by David Pogue. I was hooked from the first minute of reading it. I was deeply intrigued, and very amused at Pogue's humorous way of explaining things, especially for old-time classic Mac OS users like myself. It's great that he has included the "Where'd it GO?" Appendix in the book- that's been ESPECIALLY helpful to me. In reading the book, it's great that we no longer have the "Platinum Sounds" soundtrack in Mac OS X, meaning, my sister wont be able to irk me that way anymore on my mac (on the old family mac, she used to go into the control panels, and enable "platinum sounds", just so she could annoy me when I get on, because I REALLY hate those "swooshes & burps" as Pogue put it, so I'm glad to know that feature IS gone!) It's a very nicely done book. Pogue has organized this book very well, and described everything in an amusing way without the word clutter. If you can't stand books that bore you to sleep due to authors with dry humor, AND, you can't find your way out of a paper bag while navigating your way around in Mac OS X, this book is DEFINATELY for YOU. ENJOY, because you GET your MONEY's Worth all the way. I DEFINATELY recommend this book. It's great, and It really has helped me out as "The Little Young Mac Veteran".
Book Review: Book review
Summary: 5 Stars
Mac OS X: The Missing ManualPaperback, Third Printing, February 2002, 596 pages
By David Pogue
© Copyright 2002 by Pogue Press, LLC
ISBN 0-596-00082-0
Review written June 23, 2002
By Donald W. Larson, OReilly Book Evangelist
In February 2002 I moved over from MacOS 9.1 to the new Apple Operating System MacOS X. Its a major change in usage even with a great user interface like Aqua. Although Im an Apple user since 1981, I knew I would need a great new reference nearby to help me in the transition from old to new. I asked my OReilly contact for the book Ill speak to next.
David Pogues, Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, is a tremendous help for anyone moving to the new Mac OS. Ive met David when he came to a few of my San Diego Macintosh User Group picnics. Hes a great guy and a very talented person. One of his talents is writing and in the titled book, he expresses the new frontier X with clarity.
The book has 21 chapters and six appendices. It covers everything I could think of that a beginner or expert user would love to know about X. David begins the transition to the new OS from the vantage point of the user viewing the Aqua experience the first time. He traverses the topics of folders and the Dock, which presents the most visible changes in how information is organized on the hard drive.
He writes about how the programs are different and how AppleScript is supported in new ways. An entire chapter is devoted to the concept of discrete users and how those spaces are kept distinct from one another. This bears witness to the underlying Unix operating system that governs the new machine.
Because Unix is available underneath, David takes the time to explain the permissions concept and how to use the Terminal program to explore the depths of Unix and lead us easily into that new realm.
I initially started reading this book straight through back in February. I found the writing style was easy to follow but I kept getting sidetracked with Davids suggestions to try his exercises out. Often one thing leads to another and I lost my reading train-of-thought. I enjoyed his style so much I gave up trying to read straight through. I discovered instead his book is a well-written reference book with a story perspective to it.
For the last few months I grabbed for this book every time I needed a fast answer about MacOS X. David maintains a website with up-to-date information and many free or shareware program listings that accompany the book. I now have a pretty good working knowledge of the books material. I attended the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference last May and Im glad I had absorbed much of the book by then. Many of the presentations at that conference were clear because of the foundation I had learned from the book.
Everyone using MacOS X needs this book. Thanks David!
Rating 10 out of 10. This rating is my own personal value system and as such is very subjective. I think a rating of 5 means I would read finish reading a book. A rating of 10 would indicate I had trouble putting a book down and have no complaints at all about it.
Book Review: The Ultimate User Friendly Guide to OSX
Summary: 5 Stars
David Pogue has a rare ability to make a complex subject understandable. He did it with his 'Missing Manuals' Guides to System 9 and iMovies but had the good sense to wait until OS Version 10.1 before giving us the definitive step by step guide to the new system.The language is non technical but each aspect of the system is clearly explained and more important how each can be used. To this he has added valuable hints and tips and for the more technically curious some explanation of the underlying Unix System.
This is a generously illustrated book which can sit by the computer as you follow the steps beginning with the new layout and going on to explain how to use every aspect of OSX. It is structured to lead both first timers and System 9 converts into the new OS with an opening chapter which takes the reader through the new way of dealing with windows, folders and desktop. This is complimented by an appendix which explains where familiar parts of the former system are now located.
This leads to a chapter 'Organising your stuff' which demonstrates the day to day operating of the system before going on to examine the new Desktop, the Finder Toolbar and the content of the Applications and Documents folders. Each of the programmes provided is analysed and considerable space is devoted to iTunes, iMovie, iTools and Quicktime. The structure of the book provides a step by step journey through the use of OSX but also allows the impatient to dip in and find answers or check the Troubleshooting resource.
From my experience of David Pogue's earlier books I awaited this one before jumping into the new system and I am very glad I did. Other books I looked at are much more superficial and the early ones are now out of date. There are two other reasons for buying this as the only OSX book you will need. Go to the publisher's site and you can read a sample chapter and decide before you place an order ... On the site you will also be able to download all of the shareware programmes mentioned in the book and save the cost of an added CD.
Book Review: Missing No Longer
Summary: 5 Stars
I 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 subscription (many) years ago, and his New York Times columns have generally been pretty good as well._Mac OS X: The Missing Manual_ is exactly what you'd expect if you've read any of Pogue's other books or columns - it's clear and straightforward without seeming dumbed down. His writing tends to be fairly light and often funny, making for particularly readable technical books. That's not to say it's without substance, though - within the first chunk of this book (which is pushing six hundred pages) I'd already had a dozen of my exisiting questions answered as well as plenty I hadn't even thought to wonder about.
It seems pretty definitely directed at people who've been using Mac OS for a long time and are switching to OS X; given that OS X contains nothing at all from the previous versons of the operating system it's not surprising that it takes some getting used to, despite vaguely _looking_ like Mac OS. If you've never used OS 8 or 9 and don't have any existing Mac habits to unlearn, you might not even need a book like this - but I suspect it would still be pretty useful. As the title implies, Apple documentation tends to be slim to non-existent, and this is by far the most thorough OS X book I've seen yet. Definitely recommended.
Book Review: Excellent resource for Mac OS 10 and 10.1 users!
Summary: 5 Stars
David Pogue, the author of Mac OS X, The Missing Manual, REALLY knows the Mac! He's been using and writing about Macs for years and years - and is the best Mac author out there - I've read them all. His number one strength is his ability to explain things in a 'plain English' manner. He uses real-world analogies, avoids acronyms and is truly clear! This makes a huge difference. Other authors think that they're clear, but Pogue pays attention to the smallest details, making it as easy as possible - while still imparting advanced information. Pogue's latest book offers detailed info about the strengths of OS X, the weaknesses of the Classic mode, as well as making the transition from OS 9.x, and superb advice on how to optimize your machine to work with both operating systems if need be. Whether you would like to *really* learn OS 10, or merely stay familiar with Apple's operating system, this is the only Mac book you'll need. Pogue covers everything - and very well. I highly recommend it! Pogue's iMovie 2 and Mac OS 9 Missing Manuals are also excellent. And, don't miss Pogue's column in the Technology section of the New York Times; like his books, they're informative, humorous - and hard to put down.