Macintosh Books

Although I have iLife '06, this edition on '04, which I found second-hand at a bargain price, is good enough for the moment in guiding me around the various components of the software (I am new to Macs and iLife). The recommendation is naturally to find a copy on the version of iLife you've got, but I like David Pogue's book on OS X Tiger, and when I found this book I snatched it up without hesitation.

Under the general name of iLife, Apple includes five software packages that are oriented to your creative expression and entertainment. While the programs are nifty, the documentation that comes with them is somewhat less than outstanding. David Pogue, has created a series of books called "The Missing Manual." In this manual, he provides what is missing for the iLife software, the missing manuals.

The five software packages included in iLife include: iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and GarageBand. Mr. Pogue highlights the newest features and improvements of iLife '04, covers the capabilities and limitations of each program within the suite, and delivers countless goodies not found anywhere else: undocumented tips, tricks, and secrets for getting the best performance out of every one of iLife's life-changing new applications.

I have trouble believing the basic premise of the book. That Apple bundled together 5 very useful programs (iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, iDVD and GarageBand) into something it calls iLife, and then released it with no hardcopy instructions! Granted, Apple is generally considered to be a very innovative company. Its products like these here are typically the most intuitive in the computer industry. But surely it is arrogant to omit a manual. If nothing else, it voluntarily cedes revenue that passes to the author of this book. An Apple shareholder might reasonably be upset.

You can read the book as a very natural continuation of Pogue's other successful books on the Mac. He shows how Apple put together a very coherent group of programs. Pogue demonstrates a higher level synergism, aptly summarised by the first figure in the book. It shows the 5 programs as vertices on a circle. Directed arcs are drawn between these vertices if data can be transferred in that direction between them.

This figure is so compelling and succinct that it should have gone on the cover. Or at least reproduced on the inside cover, so that you can easily and often refer to it, whilst going through the text. [Think of a chemistry book, with the periodic table on the inside cover.] It neatly encapsulates the entire reason for the book. Think about it. Without discussing the ability to transfer data between the programs, we really have 5 separate programs. The book would then cleave into 5 nonintersecting portions, each of which would be outweighed by other more comprehensive books devoted to each program. The figure and its elucidation give meaning and value to the book.

The book has reasonably in-depth coverage of the five iLife applications in iLife '04: GarageBand, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD. The content is not step-by-step for beginners but rather for people that understand the basics of Macintosh applications and have some experience with the applications. The text is well written and illustrations are used effectively. All of the applications, save iDVD, are covered thoroughly. But that's ok since IDVD gets short shrift in every manual.

For true beginners I would recommend buying the O'Reilly manual for the application that you are likely to use the most. For example, I think photographers will get a lot out of iPhoto 4: The Missing Manual. What's the difference? There is more exposition, which eases the learning curve, and there are more tips and tricks. But if you are a Macintosh user with a reasonable amount of experience who is looking for a book that covers all of the applications at a reasonable level, then this book should appeal to you.

For genuine beginners I would also recommend looking at Peachpit Press' "The Macintosh iLife '04".

Ms. Cohen's Quickstart Guide to InDesign was perfect for me to get a, er ... quick start in learning this sophisticated design tool. I write this as someone who's had lots of experience with other computer tools, but who's new to page layout; although I expect it'd be equally helpful to anyone who'd dare to approach anything as complex as a desktop page layout program.

The book's strengths, for me, are that it stays to the essentials (while including all of the essentials), is clearly and abundantly illustrated with screen shots, and focuses on a how-to approach with concise and consistently clear explantaions throughout. A perfect combination for me was to use this book to get started ... quickly ... and to refer to the Adobe manual and on-line help to research specific features in more depth.

Another of my favorite features is Ms. Cohen's informative, engaging and often amusing commentary in the chapter intros and sidebars. These lend a personal and welcoming touch to her deft and experienced treatment of her information-dense topic, and remind us that words can be fun, too.

Ms. Cohen's Quickstart Guide to InDesign was perfect for me to get a, er ... quick start in learning this sophisticated design tool. I write this as someone who's had lots of experience with other computer tools, but who's new to page layout; although I expect it'd be equally helpful to anyone who'd dare to approach anything as complex as a desktop page layout program.

The book's strengths, for me, are that it stays to the essentials (while including all of the essentials), is clearly and abundantly illustrated with screen shots, and focuses on a how-to approach with concise and consistently clear explantaions throughout. A perfect combination for me was to use this book to get started ... quickly ... and to refer to the Adobe manual and on-line help to research specific features in more depth.

Another of my favorite features is Ms. Cohen's informative, engaging and often amusing commentary in the chapter intros and sidebars. These lend a personal and welcoming touch to her deft and experienced treatment of her information-dense topic, and remind us that words can be fun, too.

This is my favorite book in the "Quick Start" series; as a novice typesetter and Adobe products users, I have them all. This is written in plain, everyday English, not tech-talk and begins at the beginning of the layout process with getting your first page formatted with margins and other variables. It also includes a quick start for Pagemaker and Quark users who might be more familiar with page layout programs. Numerous illustrations on each page help one figure out, among other things, what the buttons look like and what a baseline guide is. While InDesign borrows much from Pagemaker, Photoshop and Illustrator, it combines them into one program so one doesn't have to switch from one program to another to perform a task. This is my choice for InDesign books, although as the program matures, many others will surely follow. If you buy only one book about InDesign, buy this one. Aside from its' usefulness, it is an outstanding value, too!

This is the best yet book in this series. It is arranged logically and begins at the beginning in simple English and takes one through the program step by step, each step building on the one before it and adding to your proficiency level. I have sat with this book and followed it exactly and I think that it has been excellent in getting me started. Now I actually know enough to ask questions and look things up in the index! It truly is an easily understood book and very comprehensive and if you have any prior experience with Quark or Pagemaker, it will be a breeze to get up and running with InDesign. This book is an excellent value and the one you should really buy first. I doubt you'll need any of the others after reading this one.

Good news. You can stop contemplating which EKG tutorial you want to purchase. Through med school, residency, and cardiology fellowship I had used 9 EKG texts/CD-ROMs prior to finding Dr.Rimmerman and Jain's . Once I came across this incredible CD-ROM and workbook, I used it exclusively in preparing for the EKG portion of the Cardiology boards.

At the exam, many others were discussing the difficulty and time constraints of the 2 hour EKG module. Solely with the help of Dr.Rimmerman's text, I was finished in half the allotted time. By following the text/CD ROM of Dr.Rimmerman, I scored well into the top decile. Dr.Rimmerman is to EKGs as Netter is to medical illustration.

This text/CD-ROM had to take years to assemble and painstakingly reviews ~630 EKGs in three sections that are well delineated according to difficulty. The reader evaluates the hardcopy EKG and then codes his/her answer into the CD ROM. This is followed by immediate, constructive feedback through multiple channels. First and foremost, there are colored arrows that are displayed over the computerized EKG. Then there is an easily interpreted paragraph or two describing all of the intricate details of the EKG. There are also hyperlinks to similar findings in other EKGs. It kills me that I was unaware of this text as a student or resident. Quite simply, if you want to learn EKGs this text is MANDATORY.

This book is without a doubt for all levels. Allied medical personnel, nursing students and graduates, and medical students all the way up to electrophysiologists have so much to gain from this text. Drs.Rimmerman and Jain, through their meticulous attention to detail, have created the definitive workbook/CD ROM for learning EKGs. I am forever grateful to their endeavor.

This is an excellent resource. I am completing my cardiology fellowship, and this book/CD has quickly improved my ECG reading skills. The adage "practice makes perfect" is unfortunately not true for interpreting ECGs. If you are incorrectly reading ECGs, then you reinforce errors. This program includes about 700 ECGs in three sections, ranging from the basics of normal sinus rhythm to acute myocardial infarctions with left bundle branch blocks. You simply enter your interpretation of the ECG, and the CD checks your conclusion. It points out salient ECG features, further describes the findings, and provides hyperlinks to related ECGs in order to reinforce teaching points. "Perfect practice makes perfect." When used correctly, this tutorial reinforces the subtleties of ECGs and will enhance your clinical skills.
I recommend this book not only for cardiologists, but also for nursing students, nurses, medical students, residents, and general internists. Interactive Electrocardiography is my primary reference for studying for the ECG sections of the cardiology boards, however, it was the tutorial I needed as a medical student. I give this program five out of five stars and think it is a priceless resource for learning to read ECGs.

I was reading the reviews and saw that every body was very please with the book. The only thing that wasnt mention was that the book had only 12 leads readings. if you are looking to improve on 12 leads this book is it, but I was hopping it would give simutalions on regular lead II reading for medics out in the field.

If you need something to "train" your EKG knowledge and become "skilled" this book + CD is for you!! Practical, easy to understand, exhaustive and very very useful for daily practice. The CD is well made, and fast so you can practice even if you have 5 minutes of "free times" in your daily practice

Lorenzo MD

Internet Security for the Macintosh - A Guide for the Rest of Us is I believe a "Must Have" Computer Manual, alongside David Pouges "Missing Manual" and Steve Schwartz "Internet Explorer for Macintosh" for every serious Mac Users reference library

The authors, Oppenheimer and Whittaker come impeccably credentialed and their expertise as filtered by joint authorship has clearly made use of their backgrounds with measured and pragmatic effective advice taking you carefully through security requirements from the bottom up. One undeniable advantage in this respect is that they also currently provide ISP services so they know what the real world is about and it shines through.

In addition the timing of the publication is excellent.

Whilst it is Mac specific it could well be considered an essential basic Internet Security Manual for PC Users as well.

The Manual of around 400 pages and 18 chapters is broken down into four sections 1. General Security Principles 2. Securing Internet Services 3. Enhancing Overall Security and 4. Advanced Topics.

The message comes through. If you don't get the basics right even if you apply the advanced advice there may be holes in your system (Microsoft where have we experienced this before!)

There are chapters on Viruses, Personal Firewalls, Home Networking, Securing Mac OS X and an intriguing - Just say no to FTP!

Here I believe in the one place is pragmatic and sensible advice which if followed will make your computer far less vulnerable to Villains, Hackers and Mischief Makers, particularly now that the migration to Cable, ADSL and other broadband DSL technologies leave us a lot more vulnerable than with dial up connections.

Peachpit Press has set up a website to facilitate feedback updates and more recent information for purchasers of the guide.

The book excellently and up-to-date describes the technical issues and is so well-written that we may read it and be glad we did, but it is also so nice and lacks an inspiring ending that we may not do much about Internet security for our Macintoshes once we have put the book down.

At last..a timely and well written book that specifically details the essentials of Mac security...highly recommended

This book is just what it promises, "a guide for the rest of us." It explains how things work, clearly and in logical order, and is laid out so you can easily pick out the parts you need to read.
I used the book to set up a firewall. I had previously purchased a perfectly good one with simple controls, but had no idea what all the buttons meant in terms of blocking unwanted intrusions while retaining normal Internet access. (I'm an experienced Macintosh user, but naive about the underlying mechanisms of the Internet.)
Oppenheimer defines the underlying concepts and provides simple instructions, and with his book I was able to set up my computer security system in less than an hour.

This is a GR8 second reference book for the iPhone..:-)
Small enough to carry around & not look like too big of a geek..:-)

How could a book dedicated to my little iBreen, Addie go wrong. :-)
It is a perfect companion to tuck into your backpack or the storage
compartment in your car. You will find it to be a great reference,
written in that witty and informative style which is precisely the
trademark feature of Christopher Breen. As it says on the cover,
"All the Secrets of the iPhone, Pocket Sized"

A very useful reference for the iPhone. I've been using Mac's since 96, but wanted to know as much useful information as possible about the iPhone. Chris Breen, for those who don't know him, is a witty, articulate editor for Macworld magazine, and contributes much to Macintosh community. You won't be sorry you got this book, unless you designed the phone yourself you'll be helped and entertained by this book,
Like his other book, The iTunes & iPod Pocket Guide this book won't fit in your average pocket.
You can't go wrong

I love this book! Without it I would miss many of the finer points of the IPhone. Easy to read and understand. Had a quick tutorial at the Apple Store but this book is much better.

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.

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.

This is a wonderful guide. It is small and very easy to follow. To perform a function it just lists the steps, no extra verbage, no pictures, just steps to easily follow. A good index makes things easy to find. It is perfect for me because I just want to use the basic things, nothing exotic. It might not be enough for someone who wants to do more, but for a basic user it is Terrific and small enough to carry easily. Don't hesitate!!

O'Reilly's new "Mac OS X Pocket Reference" hits a home run right out of the stadium!

Yes, Missing Manuals are good. As are Little Books, Bibles and Inside books. However few of those tomes fit your pocket, purse or brief case as beautifully as this little gem does! It's an essential quick-reference on OS X that all new users will use at least several times on the very first day it arrives.

Not only does it contain all the really essential commands and keys, it includes basic UNIX command info, printer, modem configurations, and a host of other important help one may need while at the desk or on the road. Add a user, remove a user, tune the dock, correct OS preferences, log in, log out, change passwords, and do just about anything the unfriendly new OS requires you to do.

I actually like it better than the frustrating online guide help. It is well organized, has a good table of contents and index, and is designed with a simple, easy to understand format.

But it's not just about help. Just thumbing through it you'll pick up tips that you hadn't thought of before. (Like building and using the powerful locate database!) It's a great little book, fits nicely in the brief case for travel and gives you the support you need when you need it.

Yes, I bought David Pogue's "Missing OS X Manual" for the kids and at home. I bought Robin William's wonderful "Little OS X Book" to send off to college with my son. But this one . . . it's in MY brief case all the time.

Although the Designer's Bookshelf concentrates on books in the visual communications fields, the Max OS X Pocket Reference caught all our Mac User's fancy and won itself a place in the Design-Bookshelf.com Editor's Choice Circle for July 2002.

This book is valuable as a quick start guide to Mac OS X, both for users of earlier versions of the Mac OS and for "switchers" from Unix and Windows--Part I of the book is all about converting.

Part II covers the basics of Mac OS X including window usage and keyboard shortcuts, the Finder and Dock, the Classic environment, and managing user accounts and logging in. The "Basic Keyboard Shortcuts" chart is especially handy.

Part III discusses system preferences and the applications and utilities that come with OS X. A future edition of this book would be much more useful if it provided information on the various "iApplications" (e.g., iPhoto, iMovie, and iTunes) and the other applications that come bundled with OS X. The book currently provides a one-paragraph description of the various applications but nothing on how to use them. The section on Developer Tools is so brief as to be almost useless.

Part IV covers the Unix interface to OS X, focusing on using the Terminal application and basic Unix commands. This section seems to be confused about its target audience. Some things are discussed at a very basic level, but at the same time it assumes the reader knows why they want to work with the Unix interface in the first place.

Part V is called "Task and Setting Index" and tells how to accomplish various tasks and configure the system.

Any book about a specific computer technology will become dated. This book was published in May 2002, and at the time of this writing (November 2002), some items discussed in the book are already out of date with the release of Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar). For example, iTools is now .Mac, and Sherlock is no longer used to find files (that function has been moved to the Finder).

Why do I give this book four stars? Much of the information is so abbreviated that it is not helpful, for example, the coverage of the applications and utilities. There just isn't enough content to justify the book's billing as a "pocket reference". On the other hand, it does provide a good overview of Mac OS X.

This book is invaluable - it's small, it's concise, it has what you want to know, and it's small enough to pack in your pocket. The main reason it deserves the five stars in full is because it delivers on all the Mac OS X content with depth that fits a pocket-book, plus some UNIX code. In essence, what Chuck Toporek has done is to create an all-purpose Mac OS X book small enough to carry with you. Mucho content in a mini size - that's why I recommend this book.

This book is very helpful and easy to follow. It's a very nice book for anyone trying to figure out Fireworks!

Fireworks made easy!!!

Having bought Studio MX 2004 because I wanted the easiest way to integrate graphics with DreamWeaver, I struggled and struggled to use Fireworks. I use Photoshop, but read how great Fireworks was and wanted to try it. I found that it's HELP is terrible, and not very useful to new users. Then I found Sandee Cohen's book, and all is now clear. This is a great book, walking the user systematically through how to use Fireworks, and emphasizing the ease and simplicity of keystroke shortcuts. Very highly recommended.

Macromedia is clearly devoted to the web page production business. Fireworks is their graphics package that is ideally suited for producing the kinds of images you want on web sites. It is also smoothly integrated into the rest of their packages such as Dreamweaver, which is hands down the preferred web authoring package available at the professional level.

If you're thinking about Fireworks but aren't sure, you can go to the Macromedia site and down load a free trial of the package to see if you like it. As for the literature that comes with it, you will find that this book is a much better option.

The Visual Quickstart Guides us an interesting format where each page has one column of text and another of screen images. The idea is to show and explain at the same time. This is a very easy and quick way to get up and running on a software package. The concept is good, and Sandee Cohen does a great job here.