Operating Systems Books

Often you can consider unix and linux to be interchangeable. The common linux commands have the same names as their earlier unix counterparts. And, gosh, a linux system overall is really not so different from a unix box. Gancorz explains this in detail. He discusses similarities and differences. The biggest of the latter being that each unix is a proprietary operating system. But even before linux began, many unix shell scripts and commands had migrated to most other unixes. The lesson here is that there really isn't a big culture shock in going from one to the other.

There is a section in the book advocating storing data in flat text files, as opposed to some binary format. Hear, hear! Though the book could have added several remarks to further strengthen the case. XML has been widely adopted, in no small wise because it is expressed as text. Ditto for HTML. The easy reading and editing of HTML also helped push its success.

Another section talks about how often portability is more important than efficiency. As in a shell script that is more portable than a slightly faster C executable, which produces the equivalent output. Just like the use of Java byte codes, versus native binaries.

If you're considering purchasing this book - let me make this easy. At sixteen years old (1986) I was using DOS with my younger brother on an IBM PC. All I got were beeps and control characters. I had no mentors that understood DOS better than me. Unix had been cooking for 16 years! Why couldn't Unix have been ported to the PC? Fast forward ten years and I had a Bachelor's in Computer Information Systems and I earned a living using MVS/JCL/COBOL II/DB2/CICS/ROSCOE/FILEAID. It took me days to slice and dice text files with JCL/FILEAID - it was like using a screw driver to remove nails. I still remember these JCL and Fileaid syntax. Unix would have made these tasks child's play. Today, my JCL and Fileaid syntax knowledge is worthless. If I'd learned grep awk instead - my skillset would be highly prized for the foreseeable future! In short, learning Unix/Linux syntax is an awesome investment. Why? In case you didn't know Unix/Linux will be going strong when your children's children are dead! This book actually made me sad. Sad that I was 37 years old before I encountered a Mike Gancarz's book that tells the Unix/Linux narrative. If only I'd gotten the message sooner when my mind was a sponge - I'd be so much farther along today! So here goes. If you're an old fart - maybe you should forget Linux - keep paying Microsoft a small fortune to re-badge their OS every 5-7 years. This book will make you see things from a brotherhood perspective. Your brothers want you to use their OS free. Yeah I want more Linux games too. Give them time. But in the mean time invest some time in learning the command line. I swear to you that Linux is logical, and even approachable, regardless how cryptic the command-line flags look at first. Every minute you invest in learning Linux can be passed-on to your kids, grandkids, & so on. Linux is eternal. This book tells you nothing of the syntax but you'll learn the Unix/Linux mindset. I skimmed at parts, but this is a necessary first step. This is where you should start your journey to learn Linux. I share your pain. Chin up - we're in this together.

Few books can really do a proper job of talking about philosophy vis-a-vis software development. Mike Gancarz finally delivers--and wonderfully--on such an attempt. It can not only broaden your mind, but also improve the quality of the software you develop (if you're a programmer).

You needn't necessarily be a programmer to appreciate this book, there is no code or assumption that you have any development skills whatsoever. You should at least really appreciate software systems as works of architecture. I'll leave it at that.

My *only* criticism is that at times I wasn't quite in tune with the author's sense of humor, but that's my only criticism.

I highly recommend this book.

* * * * *

Five stars for "Linux and the Unix Philosophy" because foremost it is an excellent discussion of the importance of the Open Source revolution.

Also, what this text does is not to repeat the basic Unix design's principles e.g. 'everything in Unix is a file' e.t.c., but instead it focuses in some inspiring and innovative approaches to software engineering, mostly applied in the GNU/Linux world.

It finaly proves in many ways the superiority of GNU/Linux - and Unix in general - in contrast to the other "desktop" systems.

One thing I enjoyed the most is the parallelism between some Unix tenets and corresponding real life examples. Having read a lot of texts about Unix and Open Source Software I deeply recommend this book.

I liked this book. It covers a lot of the Linux basics that many of the others WON'T cover. What I didn't like is a 98 page section on modem compatibility. This info is available on the web and those pages could have been used for something else. On the whole, the book is good for beginners who have no experience with setting up a Linux desktop in KDE or Gnome (bear in mind, this desktop setup is mostly geared to asthetics) and I enjoyed reading it.

In Linus Desktop Starter Kit, computer expert and professional consultant John Lathrop has assembled everything a user must know to install, configure, and get started with Linux. This complete book/cd-room kit covers all major distributions available, including Red Hat Linux, Caldera OpenLinux, TurboLinux, and SuSE Linux. Lathrop writes in an engaging, easy-to-understand, non-technical style and offers comprehensive, detailed, step-by-step instructions. Linus Desktop Starter Kit is a hassle free, highly recommended guide and reference that will be deeply appreciated by all who are new to Linux, and has a wealth of valuable material for even the experienced Linux user.

This book is very clear and provides step-by-step guides. That's all you need to get familiar with Linux.

I have an AMS Roadster that gave me problems when installing red hat 6.2. I know that the red hat cd I had was good because it worked for my desktop. Knowing that laptops can be a struggle I got this book, one because it already had a good rating, and two, it comes with 4 versions of Linux! I had already tried the cumbersome method of downloading it off the net (just my opinion). I've already got the Caldera up and installed in one hour and all of the author's directions worked like a recipe book! I don't think this is as extensive of a book on linux as is readily available, but it seems to be the best book for the win 32 user that's trying to get up and running.

The focus of this book is not on formal definitions and theoricals models so much as it is on practical form. But in this book as many other books, does not address these topics in sufficient detail.

Instead, this book emphasizes the use of the security applications, as well as how the applications work and why they are necessary and many other interesting topics.

Yes, this is not the best book about security in linux servers, but yes is a good book for beginners and intermediate users using small LANs.

despite its smallish size (550 pages) this book is packed full of useful info. the first couple of chapters are a whistle stop tour of the all the ways a linux box can be hacked, and the rest of the book describes how to fix these problems. most of the book is intermediate level, but a couple of the later chapters are more advanced. but i think this is a good thing because it means the book goes into much more detail than most others.

If you are a network administrator who needs to get a quick handle on Linux security this would be a very good choice. It covers the basics of security in general (weak passwords, key logging, Trojans, network topology, etc.) as well as security issues that are specific to Linux.

It does a good job of explaining how Iptables are used in a firewall and how to tune the network. Linux Network Security does appear to thoroughly cover all the basic system security considerations including the passwd file, shadowing, enforcing security, using PAM, and SUDO security. The best part of the book is when the author gets to how to choose an appropriate distribution, use a chroot jail, and protect memory.

In addition to the basic Linux security common to all distributions the author discusses role based access control, the Linux Intrusion Detection System, and the secure Linux distribution SeLinux. The book ends with sections on securing the most common services for Linux - Apache, SSH, NFS, NIS, DNS, BIND, and FTP. It also includes a section on keeping your system secure using Tripwire.

If you need additional help on specific issues there are six appendixes which cover recompiling the kernel, kernel configuration for networking, firewall scripts, and cryptography. This book is obviously intended for the Linux network administrator, but the level of knowledge assumed is somewhat confusing. For some pieces it seems to assume no prior knowledge (like Chapters 1 and 2) and for other areas it seems to assume some basic prior understanding of Linux (although admittedly minimal). Keep in mind that there are whole books on some of these items (like securing Apache) so there is obviously much more detailed information available if you have a specific need. Linux Network Security is highly recommended to network administrators who are dealing with a basic file and print sharing network or who need a solid overview of Linux security and some of the security problems with common services.

Security is one of those things that everyone knows they should do but typically doesn't until too late. In spite of all the warnings most companies ignore the pleadings of the assigned security specialist until all of a sudden they are hit in the face with a penetration. And this is the theme of the introductory chapter, except that he explains it a lot better.

The second chapter starts with an explanation of John The Ripper. This is a program that attempts to automatically crack your system's password file. (The John The Ripper program is included on the books CD so you can use it to test your own system.)

By this point he had my attention. It was clear that if he wished he could get into my system and do whatever he wished. I interrupted my reading at this point and changed several system passwords to make them a lot more difficult.

After that I went on to read the rest of the book on finding, fixing and preventing holes in a Linux network. I never realized it was so easy.

The book is a combined explanation of what's happening and a wealth of software on the CD. This software, described in the text part of the book, is a selection of software off of the net. The net has a huge amount of software available. Here the author has selected a dozen or so packages that he discusses enough for you to use and to have some faith that the results you are getting are worthwhile.

Perhaps the best book on Linux security ever.

When people say RTFM when asked questions about NFS, this is "The ...er.. FINE ... Manual" they should be refering to.

Erez has been in charge of the care & feeding of NFS on the Linux platform and knows his charges well.

This book (and this series as a whole) is well writen with the experienced SysAdmin in mind. You do not need to know NFS for this book to help you, but you do need to know basic Sys Admin concepts and techniques.

I have been running NFS on various Unicies for years and found this to be a great resource for NFS/Automount on not only the Linux side, but on Solaris, HPUX, AIX and *BSD as well.

If you intend to run a secure, stable and speedy NFS server, you MUST read this book. Erez helps you avoid the gotchas and pitfalls most people hit when running NFS for the first, or hundreth time.

This book really should have the word Linux removed from its title, not because it doesnt cover it, but because the book shouldnt limit its readership by it.

This book is the most complete guide to NFS and to amd. If you administer NFS, you will find answers to questions here that are answered nowhere else.

The book is in three sections: (1) NFS, (2) amd, and (3) Appendices.

The first section speaks on NFS. It details all of the different daemons used by NFS, what they are for, and how they work. Configuring NFS is discussed at length, and from both sides (client and server). Securing NFS warrants an entire chapter, too, including server-side security, client-side security, and recovering NFS after a break-in. They discuss the troubleshooting of NFS problems, and what can go wrong. There is coverage of NFS version 4, and building and installing NFS under Linux.

Section two speaks of the Berkeley Automounter Daemon, or amd. Erez Zadok is the maintainer of amd, and clearly knows his material quite well - and can explain it well, too. He spends a considerable amount of time explaining how to configure amd, including how to create maps and the different map options available. There is a chapter on run-time administration of amd, and a detailed chapter on advanced uses of amd - including automounted /home directories, CDROM mounts, NFS server failovers, and more. Another chapter is on autofs (which is different from amd!) and of the autofs support contained in amd. The last chapter in this section is on building and installing amd for Linux.

The Appendices detail the files contained in the source package, and also list online resources for amd and NFS. There is also a section on amd and NFS log messages and errors, as well as one on amd configuration file parameters and command flags.

The inside leaf (front and back) of this book contains a reference chart of common NFS mount and export flags.

I have used this book quite a lot, and refer to it frequently. The writing is fluid and easy to comprehend, and the index (36 pages) is extensive. This book contains details on NFS that exist nowhere else, and it is THE manual for amd.

Despite the title, this is not a Linux-centric book.

If you use amd or NFS (on Linux or not), get this book - you won't be sorry.

I always thought configuring a Samba server for solid and secure operations was a black art until I started using NFS. My first NFS installation had security holes you could drive a truck through, fortunately it was two highly paranoid firewalls away from the internet.

If you are intent on having an NFS server in your network then you will need help. Who better to give it to you than the man who has been looking after the Linux NFS and automount code for several years. Zadok certainly knows his stuff.

The Craig Hunt Linux Library, the Sybex imprint that publishes this book, is quickly rising in my esteem. This is the second volume I've bought (the other was Auld's "Linux Apache Web Server Administration") and both have been absolute winners.

I most appreciate that it does not waste time with any unnecessary details about Linux or Unix but gets straight down to the topic at hand (in this case a marvellous description of NFS design and workings.) A good way to go since most of the people, myself included, who will buy this book already have a fair amount of Linux knowledge or will buy a volume that can afford the more basic topics more space.

Second is that it covers both the server and client side with enough detail. It doesn't talk down to you while at the same time it makes almost no assumptions about your level of NFS knowledge.

Third is that while it says "Linux" in the title, in just the same way that Auld's book on Apache can be used by any Apache owner (and that includes Macintosh OS X), this book is useful for anyone using NFS on a Unix or Unix derivative such as BSD, Solaris or Mac OS X. In fact one of the server and client configurations I performed with the help of this book was on my personal Mac OS X box. That doesn't deny that there are minor differences in some implementations, particularly with automount and status software but in my experience they have been minor.

If you intend to run NFS on a server then this book should be sitting beside the computer as you carefully check the configuration. I recommend this book to everyone, a "must buy."

I was pleased to find that this book does not spend the first 100 pages or so talking about the history of Linux or how to install Linux. This is not for the newbie.

That said, it *is* a very readable book. The concepts are explained very thoroughly in plain english, and everything is illustrated using examples that are very relevant to real-life admin work on systems in a heterogenous environment.

There's no way I can say, within the 1000 word limit, how good this book is. I *will* say that even if O'Reilly released a book on this same topic tomorrow, I wouldn't bother to buy it - there's no way anyone is going to cover this material better than the guy who has been maintaining the code and mailing lists for the past five years! :) ....

If you're an admin using NFS and any type of automounter, you would do well to have this book.

We use this book almost every day... and we wrote it. It's a compilation of the most useful (and effective) techniques that we know to simplify life with Linux.

In this book, we show you simple ways to streamline security, administration, backup, monitoring, and more. The first few sections are dedicated to tailoring your desktop and command-line environment. You'll find out how to use the KDE network protocols and the GNOME virtual file systems (and how to define file associations in either environment). Quick tips on using the bash shell will streamline your work at the command-line.

The "Good Housekeeping" sections show you how to get the most from your filesystem, install and upgrade Linux software, and even customize (and build) your kernel.

The system security topics we've chosen for this book include PAM authentication, e-mail (and file) encryption, using SUDO instead of su, SSH and SCP. We also cover network and system security tools such as Nessus and Bastille.

We've included a whole section on tuning up servers: Apache, MySQL, sendmail, and more. We'll explain how to install and configure SpamAssassin and show you how to keep the rulebase up to date with a daily dose of RulesDuJour. If you use the Evolution e-mail client, you'll want to read the section that shows how to connect Evolution to SpamAssassin.

Are you a Hotmail or Lycos e-mail user? Find out how to deliver your HTTPMail accounts straight into your e-mail client without navigating through ads in your Web browser.

If you want to try out new software without endangering your system, read the section on building UML jails, with or without
the LIDS security system.

We cover many more topics in this book than we can mention here - this book is a good addition to your library whether you are a Linux newbie or an experienced administrator. We had a lot of fun writing it and hope you enjoy using it.

-- Susan and Korry

I was the technical editor of this book and I can say without a doubt that this book is great. I have been using Linux for many years and have written several Linux books so I have a good grasp of Linux. I was amazed at the information I discovered reading this book and how useful it was to me.

I have used many of the techniques in this book on my home systems as well as the servers I run at work. Many of the techniques are real time savers for some everyday administrative tasks, while others are useful for maximizing your system's performance. I highly recommend this book!

Even though it's a bit beyond where I am right now with Linux, I was impressed with Susan Douglas and Korry Douglas's book Linux Timesaving Techniques For Dummies (Wiley). There are a lot of gems found in these pages...

Chapter List: Making The Desktop Work for You; Getting the Most from Your File System; Good Housekeeping with Linux; Tweaking the Kernal on Your Linux System; Securing Your Workspace; Networking Like a Professional; Monitoring Your System; Serving Up the Internet and More; Backing Up Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry; Programming Tricks; The Scary (Or Fun!) Stuff; Index

In many ways, this reminds me of a Hacks-style book. There are 62 techniques outlined here that you can use to make sure your system is running at peak efficiency or to save you time during normal administration chores. It's targeted for Fedora Core 2, SuSe, and Mandrake, so if you're running one of those distributions, you should be able to benefit from the information. So what are some of the techniques? #44 helps you get a MySQL server up and running quickly. #24 helps you learn how to customize your Linux kernel if you're really into that sort of thing. #22, Spring Cleaning Essentials, is also very beneficial both from an efficiency standpoint (fewer active processes) and a security standpoint (fewer potential paths into your system). All the tips are like this... very practical, and well documented.

And if you've had the impression that Dummies titles are majorly dumbed down, this volume will squelch that opinion. There's nothing in this book that pertains to "dummies". I consider this a good read for someone who has a few months of active Linux experience under their belt, and they want to start exploring a few topics that start to wander from just the basic commands. I'll be keeping this one with the rest of my Linux titles, and hopefully about six months from now I'll realize the full benefit from it.

Usually I always walk away from books titled for Dummies. Mostly because I have been using Linux for some time and I do low level linux C programming and sys admin. I have to respect the work of the book's authors, it is neat and very good. I am sure that this book will help a lot of folks to use Linux and realize how powerfull it is. Best of all, doing it without wasting time.

If you are a Linux beginner you will find this book quite enlighting, if you are a Linux user chances are you will find usefull stuff inside. Also, this is not an expensive book.

Do realize I have never met the authors and I am not associated to them.

The other comments before are from the Authors and from a editor. Hey, it is not a crime to vote for yourself, isn it?

Kudos to the Douglas!

While this probably won't be your only book on Linux networking, it is certainly the best book I have found to give you reasonable coverage of all the major issues a Linux sysadmin needs. The author discusses the most important network applications--DNS, Samba, Apache (including an all-too-brief introduction to web programming), NTP, DHCP, firewalls, and routing--as implemented on Linux systems. Best of all--this book is extraordinarily readable, which is a wonderful surprise in a techie manual. If you are really serious about implementing any of these applications, I would also recommend the Craig Hunt Linux Library, but for a good introduction to make sense of the man pages and HOWTO documents, this book can't be beat.

My only gripe is that Sendmail configuration and administration is far too complex for a book of this scope. The author's introduction to the topic was only deep enough to convince me to disable sendmail on my systems until I had read a more thorough text on the subject.

This book is basically a descriptive example of how to build a Linux-based server for a small office. This book covers the spectrum of the most common necessities: Internet mail (SMTP and POP3), DNS, centralized backups, Samba (allows Microsoft operating systems to share files and printers), setting up FTP, setting up apache (WWW), and configuring the Linux box as a firewall.

In the process, Toth bridges the gap between introductory books and the gargantuan Linux books.

My only negative comment is that Toth used Caldera Linux (which is on the CDROM), so you may run into some minor inconsistencies when trying to implement the information on other flavors of Linux/Unix. But with a little intuition and documentation, you shouldn't have much of a problem.

Description: Linux as a Business OS is a step-by-step, focused tutorial on installing and reliably maintaining a comprehensive Internet solution, including a corporate mail server, Web Server and more on a shoestring budget. Topics include: Set up and Installation, Connecting to the Internet, Basic services-mail and news, Setting up a Web server, Security, Advanced networking, Managing the system--accounts, logs, backups, configuring workstations, and Troubleshooting.

Mr Toth's book is well thought out and well presented. Good examples are used to highlight key concepts. This book gives a very good understaning of Linux networking without going to deep. For me it bridges the gap between a beginners 'Dummies' or 'Idiots' guide and an 'Unleashed' mammoth.

I have this wonderful iMac that does everything but make coffee. To navigate all the apps, this book is short & sweet.

Very easy to follow, not overly techie. RW & JT have a good writing style and aptitude for clear explanations. The book's illustrations (screen dumps) are well chosen and relevant to the text instructions and explanations. A good teaching tool for IT's to provide for staff or clients.

Luckily I read most of the chapters before my co-worker's permanently "borrowed" it. Now I need to buy another copy. Hope RW & JT are busy writing the next edition for the recent upgrades to some of the iLife apps announced at '04 MacWorld. I'll buy that book also as soon as it's available. Howevery, most iApps have have had only minor changes to them with Panther (and the new iLife), so this current book is still very useful and well worth purchasing.

This book is `hot off the presses,' having been published on April 10, 2003. I guess I was thinking about iLife, because I expected it to cover only iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto and iDVD. But to my surprise, it covers them and much more.

It also covers Mail, Address Book, iCal, iChat and Rendezvous, Safari, Appleworks, Omnigraffle, FaxSTF, Inkwell and all of the .Mac features, including iDisk, iCards, HomePage, WebMail, Backup, iSync, Slides Publisher and Virex. Phew! I'm glad I don't have to say that - I'd run out of breath.

I get a lot of questions from people who are converting from other e-mail apps to Mail, so I looked through Chapter 5 (Mail and Address Book) to see if the most common questions were covered. They were. The AppleWorks Chapter (17) is divided into six sections: Word Processing, Database, Spreadsheet, Painting, Drawing, and Presentation. They cover all the basics you need to get started with these tools.

Tollett and Williams tell us how to rip CDs, import and edit movies, work with iPhoto, create a chat room in iChat, edit, publish and subscribe to calendars using iCal, make a web location from any link in Safari, publish a slide show on your .Mac account, customize the button bar in AppleWorks, and so much more. the information is presented in simple, logical, straight-forward steps.

This book ought to come in the box with every new iMac, eMac and iBook. It covers everything the beginning user of these apps needs to know.

When you buy a computer, you get an operating system with it. When you buy a Macintosh, you get an operating system and an impressive set of most useful applications with it. You should have a book about using the Mac OS X operating system. You also need a guide for using the applications that came with it.

The Little Mac iApps Book is about the separate applications that come with Mac OS X that were not covered in Robin Williams' The Robin Williams Mac OS X Book, Jaguar Edition. In this one book you will find a helpful guide to:
* iLife applications -iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, and iDVD
* OS X apps - Mail, Address Book, iCal, iChat and Rendezvous, and Safari
* .Mac apps - iDisk, HomePage, WebMail, Backup, iSync, Slides Publisher, and Virex
* More Cool apps - AppleWorks Word Processing, Database, Spreadsheet, Painting, Drawing, and Presentation, plus OmiGraffle, FAXstf, and Inkwell.

More complete coverage of the iLife applications is available elsewhere, but this first section is enough to get you using these applications. If you want more information or to see a demonstration you might consider The Macintosh iLife with a DVD by Jim Heid.

The section on Mac OS X apps is, I believe, the only source that covers all of these applications and it does so with enough information to really use them. It is presented so that it is easy reading and the beginner can understand it.

Safari is still in Beta but is quite stable and has already become the favorite Internet browser for many of us. This is the only book I know of with Safari information like these two examples: To save or e-mail a link, drag the icon that is immediately to the left of the URL. To open a link in a new window behind the current window shift-Command click on it. "I can go to a search results page and open a dozen windows in five seconds."

The section on .Mac apps may be enough to get you to sign up to become a .Mac user.

The section on AppleWorks applications is presented as a tutorial. For example the chapter on the AppleWorks database compares records to recipe cards and tells you how to construct an address book which you can easily modify to fit other collections. There is a minor error where it advises you to use a character field for a telephone number and a number field for a ZIP code. The ZIP code should also be in a character field so that leading zeros display.

This is a well written and clearly presented book which should appeal to most Mac OS X users because you really should have a guide to all of the applications that come with Mac OS X.

Just as everyone needs to learn to cross the street without getting hit by a car, everyone needs to learn to use the Internet safely - and this applies even if you think you are a technophobe. Linda Criddle explains that installing protective software is not enough. Antivirus, antispyware and firewall programs won't do you any good if you don't know how to protect your personal information and avoid exploitation; you can damage yourself more than any virus can. Criddle organizes her advice into 13 steps, and she provides helpful "think about it" and "find out more" boxes as well as real-life examples, images of Web pages, diagrams and sample forms. getAbstract recommends Criddle's advice if you blog, browse, send e-mail or instant messages, or play Internet games, either at home or at work - in other words, to just about anyone who'd rather be safe than sorry.

Linda Criddle has written the definitive parents' guide to Internet safety. As the executive at Microsoft who is responsible for idenitfying emerging online risks to children, she looks at the situation through the eyes of an expert and a parent--and then re-examines the landscape from the perspective of a potential predator, exposing hidden vulnerabilities that put us at risk for exploitation.

Criddle's book is comprehensive and specific. She alerts us to the ways that we are exposing our personal information to the general public, including instances in which parents inadvertently give away identifying information about their children. She is knowledgeable about the way predators use the Internet to identify potential victims and groom them, keeping in mind that online as in "real life" a predator is most likely to be someone known to a child.

"Look Both Ways" is almost overwhelming in its comprehensive scope. The book covers the latest developments in blogging, instant messaging, and online dating safety, as well as fraud scenarios including financial scams and phishing. Linda Criddle has written an essential guide that will help families develop skills and sensible limits that will ensure that parents and kids have positive Internet experiences. This book is an eye-opener and a vital addition to every parent's library.

This book offers a no-nonsense, simple to follow and understand, approach to protecting your family online. I have kids that loves browsing, playing games and searching for content online and I am always worried that they might expose themselves to risks and harm. The book helped me understand how to protect them without having to bar them from using online services... a must have for anyone who has a PC at home.

I was impressed by this common-sense approach to online safety. Through a lot of the problems out there involve kids and teens, the authors really drive home the point that everybody is at some risk and everybody can be safer if they use their heads. Then the book tells you how to do just that. A must for parents or anybody who uses the internet.

Ted Landau is the proprietor of MacFixIt, the pre-eminent web site for late-breaking information on what's working with OS X, what's not, and how to fix it. The site has grown to enormous proportions over the years, though, and it can be hard to find a fix or troubleshooting method for a particular problem or issue.

The answer is to buy this book. Not just for troubleshooting problems, but also for understanding how OS X works. And he doesn't hold back punches ... lots of times he mentions things like "Apple says [X] should work this way, but in my tests, it doesn't, instead, many users find [Y] works better." Trust this guy.

His book compiles and organizes just about everything on his site having to do with understanding and troubleshooting OS X/Panther and more, (and a lot of Jaguar, Classic and OS 9) in a crystal-clear, step-by-step way, with tons of sidebars that go into detail on tangenital topics. I've been using OS X for years, and train others how to use it, but via this book I finally understand the difference between a .pkg and an .app for example, and how to make a bootable troubleshooting CD, and tons more information.

It is a phenomenal piece of work. I don't know how he did it! I was on the waiting list for it for months, but it was worth the wait. I would've paid three times the price just in recognition of the amount of work it must've taken to write this opus.

Ted makes sure that complete OS X newbies are gently introduced to how OS X works, yet at the same time provides a ton of information and tips to OS X geeks who live in Terminal.

For example, in one small section of Chapter 3, he goes step by step -- in more detail and with more clarity than I've ever seen -- through the different application environments (Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, Java), making sure to always talk about why/when this should make a difference to you and how you can use the knowledge to help troubleshoot problems. In this same section, there's a page-long sidebar explaining a fundamental difference between OS 9 and X, that is, single-user vs. multiple-user. He mentions a couple different OS 9 technologies that I had forgotten about that tried to "enable" multi-user functionality in OS 9; and how OS X is set up from the start as a multi-user system.

Ted mentions in this sidebar that when you install OS X, the first user account is created (normally, the one for yourself, the installer) with admin privileges, and that *this user is by default set to "automatically log on" when the machine is started up or rebooted.* For this reason, many newbie OS X users don't realize that the mutli-user functions are in effect even if they've just installed OS X and are the only user. (And of course he tells how to turn off the automatic log-on feature.)

Many hard-core OS X users don't understand (or remember) how perplexing it can be for newcomers, and little facts like this one -- automatic login is enabled for the first user by default -- can easily escape them. New users wouldn't even realize there's a requirement to log on with a username/pw until they've created another account -- perhaps months later -- and are confronted by the login screen for the first time.

It's completely updated for Panther -- goes into detail about the new utilities and how to understand Activity Monitor, etc. -- yet contains a lot of info for Jaguar users as well. It's an essential book for ANY OS X user. It's the first book I recommend to students in my OS X classes, and the one I recommend to IT managers responsible for Macs on their networks.

MacFixit web site founder and author Ted Landau's newest book, Mac OS X Help Line, Panther Edition, has joined the ranks of David Weeks' favorite OS X books. Until now, I've recommended David Pogue's OS X The Missing Manual for beginners and intermediate Mac users. The nod for best advanced/expert level book has gone to Mac OS X Unleashed, penned by John and William Ray.

I've got to add Mac OS X Help Line (Help Line for short) to the canon of best OS X books. The Ray brothers' Unleashed is geared more toward the Unix-oriented sysadmin/expert user. In contrast, Landau's Help Line is written for the sophisticated OS X end user; someone who doesn't need the plumb the Uniy depths of OS X, yet needs detailed information on complex topics.

Landau has found the right balance: he provides 1144 pages of OS X depth and detail that "normal" people can use. Help Line does sit firmly in the "boat anchor" category (try holding it out at arm's length for a minute or so), but if there's an OS X question that you or I could pose, it'll most probably have the answer.

I could easily list the sections I found most interesting, but this review would swell to three or four pages. Suffice to say that you can find
detailed information on fonts (one of OS X's least intuitive areas), printing, permissions, and the OS X startup sequence. Each section has plenty of "Technically Speaking" or "Take Note" sidebars to add even more detail to particular topics.

Like almost all OS X books, Help Line covers the basics on the iApps that ship with OS X. Don't buy Help Line for the cursory coverage it provides on Safari, for example. Buy it for the detailed background information and troubleshooting tips for networking, instead.

Help Line's production values are very good: the screen shots are clear and legible. Sidebars are set off with background colors that don't get in the way of legibility. The binding has to hold 1144 pages together; I hope it lasts more than a year or two!

Now, Ted may object to my characterization of Help Line not being a newbie book, saying that he's written a book accessible to all. I beg to differ. The Mac newbie will probably be scared off by the pages of detail on complex subjects, as she pages through Help Line trying to find out how to just rename a file. Pogue's Missing Manual will better serve the beginner.

Even so, I can't speak highly enough of this book. If you want the best work for advanced/expert Mac users who seek to learn more about the guts of OS X, but not from a systems administrator's standpoint, buy Landau's Mac OS X Help Line Panther Edition.

MyMac rating 5 out of 5

This is a real go to book for troubleshooting under the hood types of Mac issues as well as looking for "how do I do this" types of information. I have been a computer technician for many years and have used a lot of technical books and I can say that this is one of the best I have used. It covers just about any issue you could come across in depth but concisely which every technician can appreciate.

This book will help you diagnose a problem, tell you how to fix it and where to get the tool to fix it if need be. For people that use the Terminal a lot it covers UNIX quite well. It will walk you through creating bootable hard drives and DVD's, configuring firewalls, installing 3rd party applications, configuring permissions. The book also covers the iApps, iCal, iChat, iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iPod, iSync and iTunes applications and so much more. This book will be very helpfull for everyone from the beginer to the most advanced user.

This is another outstanding Peachpit press publication.

If you only buy one book for your MAC Computer-this is the one to get!
Ted Landau's advice is without a doubt invaluable. His vast knowledge of the MAC and the Panther OS comes thru in easy to understand and simple to carry out trouble shooting advice. Even though the MAC is usually reliable, problems can occur. This is the book to go to before panic sets in. I have used the previous additions over the years, and only can give his "Help" advice the utmost praise. I have recommended the prior editions to other MAC users, and they have blessed his words. There is not only advice for correcting problems, but also preventing them. Apple should include a copy with every MAC .
This book should be owned by every MAC user. IF YOU HAVE A MAC-
PUT THIS BOOK NEARBY!!!

It's tough to tell this from Amazon, but this book is a thousand pages, which makes it quite a hefty tome. But that doesn't make it a doorstop. There are screenshots, but they are, by in large, useful and relevant, and the book doesn't use them to tell a click by click story of the interface.

The book is organized into four parts that start at the user interface and continue to peel away levels of the system until, in chapter four, the author covers the command line unix shell at a surprising level of detail. A level of detail which rivals O'Reilly's other command line exclusive books. In fact, this book gives a fine introduction to scripting bash and tcsh. It does as good a job there as it does covering printing, or the vagaries of the new Finder in the chapters that precede it.

This is a quality piece of in-depth work about the unmodified Panther operating system. It's well worth the price for those who are more interested in understanding than hacking (though I admit a love for the new Mac OS X Panther Hacks book as well.)

The publisher, O'Reilly Media, seems dedicated to covering Apple's OSX operating system, OSX, from every conceivable vantage point. Its "Missing Manual" series on Panther is a user's reference on how to use the operating system and its applications for productivity and fun. Its "Hacks" series provides dozens of tips, guides, and project ideas. In the "Nutshell" series iteration, "MacOSX Panther in a Nutshell" designs to provide in-depth, comprehensive information about the inner workings of the OS. It is for power users and developers who want to master the OS and have the fullest description and explanation of OSX.

This book starts out detailing the multi-layered architecture of OSX and illuminates its power and elegance. In great depth and detail, it explains the Unix components, Aqua elements, OS9 and Classic, the Finder, and the multitude of Unix services, daemons, and applications.

This is terse, descriptive prose. The authors focus a sharp telephoto lens on the skeleton, sinews, and pores of OSX, starting with basic elements and probing deep into the details of the file system, networking components, directory services, printing configurations and more. This in-depth description and large handfuls of guides and tips totals over 1,000 pages.

A separate part of the book is devoted to Applescript, X-code tools, and Java. The X-code tools are for developers. Part IV is all about Unix, including three chapters on "shells" alone, plus sections on text editors, the X-Window system, and a full 262 pages of Unix command references, touted as the most complete such source in print publication.

No mere user manual would have ten pages devoted solely to understanding and managing preference files, or five pages on using the Colorsync feature with Quartz filter scripts.

Surprisingly, only ten pages are dedicated to security issues. Although the Mac is known to be extremely secure, recent news shows even the Mac is vulnerable to sophisticated exploits.

For those with a need to know, this is the definitive source for deep knowledge of OSX.

Since I converted I have found OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used it before type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. I paired this book with Linux and UNIX for a beginner training suite, 4DVDs + 2CDs includes 4 Unix Academy Certifications ed.2008 This book and a video they contribute one another greatly. You improve the reading and by reading you improve what you have seen.
The book is very particular about the subjects that related to OS X and because there are some differences between OS X and other UNIXes it is nice to have a book that deals with it.

Do any of you remember the O'Reilly books from the late 80s on X Windows? Those became the definitive guides to X11, and probably were crucial in putting O'Reilly on the map as a prominent technical publisher.

Well, this book on Mac OS X Panther captures some of that early O'Reilly spirit. In its comprehensiveness and heft. But also in its terseness. Turn to a random chapter and start reading. The authors try to get to the point, without wasting time. They write at a technical level that assumes you don't know the specifics of that chapter, but that you are no novice to computing.

It should be noted that the second half of the book is essentially a standard unix reference. As you may be aware, OS X is now a unix variant. Which is neat. But also accounts for much of the book's size. Unix has built up a massive set of utilities in 20 years, and the length of the unix sections here reflects this.

Don't let this put you off either the book or OS X. On the contrary! The building of the Mac operating system on top of unix gives you more power and stability (against crashes) on the Mac.