Macintosh Systems Books

PRO: quick referencing at your fingertips, tangible, no electricity required! thorough table of contents and index.

CON: it's heavy, the title is embarrassing,

Despite the title of this book, the `Dummies' part, it is an extremely useful reference book for long-term users of Apple computers as well as the newbie and / or PC converts. This reverence book takes the reader through the Mac basics it a very friendly, readable way. I've been working with Macs for 20 years, since the early 80s when they were first made available and I thought I knew my Apple product. But we must remember that the geniuses as Apple continue to tinker with and improve upon the software of the product as well as the hardware. Therefore, there are always new things to learn, new short cuts, new tips, etc. The world of Apple computing is as organic as an organization and it's products can get.

Apple niche is the ease at which these computers handle the media world. So one big advantage this reference book has over others; ie, Using Mac OS X Leopard.doc, is that it also covers the use of the basic applications that come as standard with every Apple computer. The publishers actually claim that there are 7 mini-books within this one reference that cover Mac basics; working with photos, movies, and music; using the Internet; working with iLife and iWork applications; various other Mac programs; time-saving tips; and networking.

Oh my gosh, if you have the time and the inclination, the detail in which this book goes into telling the reader the pros and cons of one of these basic applications, just when, where and the how of using them as well is a breath of fresh air. I have learned more tidbits just thumbing through the pages. It's not only amazing, it's fun; it's refreshing; and it is addictive. Actually knowing the ins, outs and short cuts is what turns an interested buyer of an Apple computer into an enthusiastic fanatics. And believe me, Mac addicts are known for their devotion to the machine. It's the programmers who keep us hooked!

To be able to take advantage of all the bells and whistles for which Apple computers have become known, you need to know them. This reference book also works as a guide for these, offering useful "Tip" on just about every page. You will find this book is not only well written but also well illustrated.

The purpose of a reference book is to have it readily available when that one question arises for which a physical book is invaluable, especially if that question covers something to do with your inoperable computer! I know that I refer to this book fairly consistently and certainly over and over again and again.

this book came in very very good condition - delivery was before expected very reliable vendor

In the tradition of all IDG Bible series books, the AppleWorks Bible by Steve Schwartz and Dennis Cohen is a home run! ... Starting out gently, and then progressing to the more difficult concepts of Appleworks 6, this book can benefit just about anyone using the program. For beginners, the quick tour of AppleWorks is clear and concise -- getting new users up to speed quickly. For the veteran user who may have come up through the ranks of ClarisWorks, there's lots of detailed help on new features like clippings, frames, styles and even macros. Reviewers at both Graphic-Design.com and User-Groups.net particularly liked the help on the new presentation tools, function integration, mail merge and the intracies of aWorks' database. If there's an AppleWorks user in your crowd, the AppleWorks Bible will make a superb gift. The AppleWorks Bible from IDG Books has been selected as the Editor's Choice Book for December, 2000 in The User Group Network, and Design-Bookshelf.

In the tradition of all IDG Bible series books, the AppleWorks Bible by Steve Schwartz and Dennis Cohen is a home run! ... Starting out gently, and then progressing to the more difficult concepts of Appleworks 6, this book can benefit just about anyone using the program. For beginners, the quick tour of AppleWorks is clear and concise -- getting new users up to speed quickly. For the veteran user who may have come up through the ranks of ClarisWorks, there's lots of detailed help on new features like clippings, frames, styles and even macros. Reviewers at both Graphic-Design.com and User-Groups.net particularly liked the help on the new presentation tools, function integration, mail merge and the intracies of aWorks' database. If there's an AppleWorks user in your crowd, the AppleWorks Bible will make a superb gift. The AppleWorks Bible from IDG Books has been selected as the Editor's Choice Book for December, 2000 in The User Group Network, and Design-Bookshelf.

MacWorld Mac OS 8.5 Bible is the "reference" for the Mac operating system. It is a must for new Mac users. Intermediate to advanced users will find it useful also. In addition to covering new features in OS 8.5 (e.g., Sherlock) it also contains chapters on automating with scripts, networking, utilities, and troubleshooting problems. From the system folder to fonts; from internet to tips and tricks, this is a book every Mac user should have next to their Mac. The Mac OS 8.5 Bible is well written in clear, concise, and understandable language. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to get more from their Mac and OS 8.5.

The Mac OS 8.5 Bible is the best reference available for the Mac OS for both novice and advanced users. This is a must for every Mac user's bookshelf. From the system folder to troubleshooting, the Mac OS 8.5 Bible covers every aspect of the Mac operating system in clear, concise, and understandable language. In addition, the Mac OS 8.5 Bible offers tips that can increase your productivity. As the Mac operating system continues to evolve, Mac OS 8.5 Bible becomes required reading for the Mac user.

With the arrival of Apple Motion, there was very little get to the point instruction being offered. The Apple manual just didn't seem to get to the bare bones of the software, thereby leaving expensive DVDs as the biggest alternative. And I'm hardly knocking the Apple Pro Training Series readsApple Pro Training Series: Motion (Apple Pro Training) because I think they're great. What makes Motion for Mac OS X stand out is it's tremendous reference value. Need to know something? Go right to it. No tutorials or slick tricks, just basic "how to", and I like that. The more "how to" I get, the more creative I am.

The Visual Quickstart Guides from Peachpit Press have an interesting format that I rather like. Each page, or couple of pages, is devoted to a single subject. One of the two columns on the page has the text describing the subject and how to do whatever it is. The other column has a screen shot showing what the screen should look like.

I find this an easy way to learn what's going on. It's an interesting combination of a tutorial type book combined with a reference type book. You're not just given an endless list of do this, do that, now do .... Instead you can go through the book from start to finish picking out what's important to you. Or you can go to the index and quickly get sent to exactly the page that's talking about what you want.

As for the specific content of this book, it's written by a professional user of Motion that is also Apple-certified as a Motion and FinalCut Pro instructor. He knows what he's talking about and has the ability to conven his thoughts well. His experience in training others on using Motion has given him an understanding where problem areas lie and he can cover these to prevent later problems.

This often ignored problem is sensibly discussed in this excellent reference book, which was recommended to me by the senior pharmacist in a leading UK psychiatric hospital. The clear and honest approach to a difficult subject, makes an invaluable contribution to help physicians, nurses and users. I believe that every university and reference library, hospital and medical practitioner should obtain a copy. Top marks for including a CD Rom too. from the founder of 'APRIL' (Adverse Psychiatric Reactions Information Link) email address : info@april.org.uk

This often ignored problem is sensibly discussed in this excellent reference book, which was recommended to me by the senior pharmacist in a leading UK psychiatric hospital. The clear and honest approach to a difficult subject, makes an invaluable contribution to help physicians, nurses and users. I believe that every university and reference library, hospital and medical practitioner should obtain a copy. Top marks for including a CD Rom too. from the founder of 'APRIL' (Adverse Psychiatric Reactions Information Link) email address : info@april.org.uk

I've been an Apple user since the old Apple IIc and have been through just about every generation of MAC and the operating systems. I'm not a "under the hood" guy - I use computers to get things done. With OS X, Apple did it again, introducing great new technology without documentation to let you know how to use it and unlease the power.

Most computer guides I've seen fall into one of two categories: A- The "This is a mouse. To use the mouse grasp firmly and push . . ." or the B- "Once in Terminal mode and root level, type the command. . . " If you are like me, you want to know how to get the most out of your machine without resorting to programming language. Mr. Miser has produced a great guide that takes you step by step through just about all the important functions and how to steps for MAC OS X (and 10.1). If you check some of the self-help boards on the internet, you get conflicting and confusing info. For example- installation of OS X and partitioning- Should you have the Classic envrionment on a different partion? How does the model of machine effect the partitioning decision? He gives you INFORMATION not just instructions, so you know the advantages and disadvantages of each decision. The book takes you step by step through all the new features and how to use them, and the tips with each section seem to predict your questions or problems before they occur. Having already installed OS X , I had been stumbling through the little quirks and problems. It IS new and different from the old MAC operating systems, and you have to get use to life in a Networked world. I had so many light bulb moments of sudden clarity that I had former Enron execs calling to offer their services in trading the excess power being generated!

The book is littered with wonderful tidbits. I had a simple question no one would answer - how do you rebuild the desktop in OS X? Found the answer - you DON'T need to perform this housekeeping under OS X. Thank you Brad!

Mr. Miser is a rare author. Here is an engineer who has a great understanding of the technology who can give wonderfully detailed information to the user in simple, plain to understand language without talking down to his reader. He has a good grasp that there are a lot of heavy users out there who are not engineers but just want to maximize productivity and minimize problems. On the other hand, the book goes far beyond the beginner level and helps you solve many issues that may have had you visiting your local computer guru- at $70 per hour. Thanks!

And as for OS X - I am doing more, faster than ever before. So make the plunge! Read the book, develop your installlation plan and make the switch over to OS X!

I don't know about you, nor your OSX situation. But I have a computing lab of 22 flat panel iMacs running OSX which have been nothing but trouble. (So much for "out of the box!")

In two separate situations I poured through the more popular and well recommended books on OSX looking for solutions. When none of them addressed those specific problems, I wrote the authors of those books asking the specific questions. (I won't mention them here.) NONE of them responded with an answer, and only ONE responded at all, and that was with a vague "guess." (Which later turned out to be wrong.)

This book arrived from QUE in my Reviews stack, and I instantly went hunting for the answers to those specific problems. I found the solutions quickly and easily among these pages.

The book is well cross-referenced, and written in a "low" geek-speak manner so that most Mac users should be able to use it effectively.

So many of the "trendy" books these days are mere reflections of the "Help" files included with the software or hardware packages. The "tips and tricks" books seem to be a carefully edited version of the popular online discussion forums and discussion lists. But Brad's book seems to evolve beyond that and actually presents important information not found elsewhere -- or more fully fleshes out details skimmed over or misrepresented by the others. (For instance: few of the other books warn you up front that the Finder cannot burn multiple-session CD-RWs -- BEFORE you burn one -- even though the machine ships with a rewritable drive.)

As a book reviewer, I've poured over maybe 30 of the most popular OSX books in the past 12 to 18 months. I feel comfortable recommending this book for all my readers as probably the best purchasing decision they could make for OSX help.

And that's all I have to say about that.

This is a helpful book. I've got a couple of Mr. Sydow's other books. He's good at clarifying complex topics. Maybe it's because he's a computer programmer, or maybe it's because he's written a few "For Dummies" books (I've got "Mac Programming For Dummies" and "Internet For Macs For Dummies: Quick Reference" by him). In any event, he writes clearly and it's a good book.

I've used Windows a lot, and the Mac only a little (my brother's had a Mac for a long time). I've had an iMac for a few months now, but I didn't feel like I was putting it to its best use. This book helped a lot. It has basic information, such as how to get the most out of the Macintosh operating system and your Web browser. It also covers some things which are aren't in other books I have, like how to connect the iMac to another Mac to have a small home network. I connected my iMac to another Mac and a printer, and it worked. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an iMac.

This book does just what it says it does: it provides a no-nonsense, quick and easy approach to learning specific tasks with Microsoft Word. Need to do something? Look it up. The pictures and step-by-step instructions make it impossible to screw things up. And the Tips in many of the sections help you go beyond the basics. All without a lot of time-consuming "dummies" chatter. This is the third Visual Quick Guide I have by Maria Langer and all I can say is that she really knows her stuff!

Since Microsoft does not include any manuals or written materials with Word:mac 2001, Ms. Langer's book is indispensable. Her explanations are clear, concise, and to the point. Her instructions are much more easy to follow than what appears in the onscreen MS Word Help.

Pros: The book is small in size (approximately 7 1/2" by 7 1/4"), making it easily transportable. Content of author's chapters are concise and well laid out with easily understood explanations and directions. Graphics are excellent, although some a tad bit small. However, in keeping with the size of the book it makes perfectly good sense to have the graphics fit proportionately!
Cons: None.
Moose Rating 5

The authors combine the 40 techniques into 9 chapters with a beginning introduction to the iPod and ITunes. Since the latest iTunes is now up to 7.0.2 there are some differences. However, the opening Introduction covers both the Mac and Windows side of installation.

Chapter 1 is Getting Started and covers the basics of the iPod and goes into iTunes. There is opening page to each Chapter which describes what you will find in the chapter. They give good suggestions about the use of your iPod as far as battery usage and what to not use to conserve battery life. This first chapter is 55 pages and covers 10 techniques including Technique 11. Transcoding Audio which becomes a little more technical, but still useful especially when one wants to convert an audio file from one format to another.

Expanding Your Audio Collection which deals with the iTunes Music Store, Podcasts and even free music which is Technique 15. While the iTunes store is great it is nice to know and find that you can download music for free and do so legitimately.

A chapter is devoted to the iPod Nano (not including the latest IPod Nanos recently released from Apple.

There is a Chapter for the IPod Shuffle [p.108 DO THE SHUFFLE. - older models obviously, however there are good suggestions and uses for using your Shuffle as a flash drive.

A chapter is devoted to accessories (Chapter 7). This shows just a small amount of accessories and even then a book unto itself would be needed at this juncture to reflect all of the various add ons and what not which have come about with the introduction of the iPod.

Chapter 8 covers the Maintenance and Troubleshooting, which also includes the Windows information for those folks who haven't or do not own a Mac. I was reading the book at my part time job and an individual stopped and asked me a question about an iPod. I went to the chapter, read him the solution and he walked away, a very grateful individual. I suggested he acquire this book to help him and his friend for future answers.

All in all I would say this is a great little book and I enjoyed reading this and applying the suggestions offered by the authors. Another aspect of the book was the way it included those items for the PC, not that I have any desire to own one, however I thought it was fair to cover both I will probably go and acquire some of the other books which are displayed in the inside back cover.

As an instructor for universities and private institutions in Toronto, Canada, I review plenty of books, in hopes of finding reasonably-priced books that offer useful information for my students. This book by Ted Alspach is much cheaper than many other Acrobat 3 books, and the book's format makes it easy to find the information you need quickly and easily. There's not many books under $20 that are worth buying; I'm glad to say this is one of them!