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Mac OS X -- The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
As I see it, there are really two groups of people who might be wondering whether or not they ought to buy Pogue's new Panther book: Mac users who own a previous edition of the Missing Manual, and those who don't. For the latter folks, the short answer is Yes - you should buy this book. And for the former, the short answer is Probably. Keeping in mind that all the various online retailers offer significant discounts on the book, and that you can also get 30% off if you've registered a previous edition with O'Reilly, it's going to only wind up costing you about twenty bucks, and it's definitely worth it. The text hasn't just been updated to reflect changes and new features in Panther - it's also been updated to reflect reader feedback on previous versions, including things like more information for people migrating from Windows, and mini-manuals on some of the iLife applications. There isn't a single page that hasn't been changed from the Jaguar edition of the book (and there are over seven hundred pages).
Some of my Mac-using friends have told me that they haven't picked up anything from the Missing Manual series because they're under the impression that they're basically novice guides. This is both right and wrong: it's absolutely true that beginners will get their money's worth from a Missing Manual and that they won't get lost in an abundance of overtechnical discussion. The part that isn't true, however, is the implication that these are books only for beginners. I've been using Macs for over ten years now (and various Unix-like systems for five), but my copies of the Missing Manuals get dog-eared and underlined more than any other technical books I own. One of the reasons I'd dispute the claim that this book isn't useful for advanced users is that sprinkled throughout are dozens of little productivity notes -- a keystroke here, a shortcut tip there -- and this is the stuff that I, at least, really get off on, while it seems like novice users tend to be content with straightforward dragging and double clicking. I dive into Part One ("The Mac OS X Desktop") with my Mac in easy reach not because I don't know how to minimize a window, but because I had no idea that (for example) there's now a Finder keystroke to jump immediately to the parent directory. That's not to say topics typically associated with power users aren't given their due, though. Even people who know their Unices (and Unix workalikes) will probably welcome the coverage of NetInfo Manager and other OS X oddities. If you find yourself stuck on some particular topic, chances are it's covered here. It's not by any means an exhaustive guide to BSD, but it's a good way to get started with Darwin. I end up using this book often enough that it has its own place of honor on top of my G4 (my other Mac books are also nearby, of course, but they're not necessarily quite so handy).
Aside from the little-bit-of-everything approach, one of the most refreshing features of the Missing Manuals series remains the writing itself - surprisingly readable, often funny, and rarely confusing. These are some of the few technical books that I'm willing or able to read cover to cover, and some of them I've even read in bed or on the subway. As for specific parts and chapters that stand out from the rest: the new mini-manuals dealing with iLife applications like iTunes and iPhoto are a welcome addition. They'd been more or less ignored in previous editions of the OS X book, since they've got their own books, but the Panther edition introduces a section on each to get you started. Another of my favorite portions of the book is the addition of Appendix F, the Master Mac OS X Secret Keystroke List. It will take a while before I'm able to memorize all of them, and in the meantime it's great to have them all collected in one place.
As for bits I didn't like? Well, I was going to complain that as someone who owned a previous edition of the book and who just upgraded to Panther, it would be nice if the "What's New in Panther" section in the Introduction were a little more fleshed out, so that I would know immediately everything that had changed. But after playing around with the new OS and reading the rest of the book, that wish seems a little impractical - after all, every page in the book had to be changed, so the entire thing is really about what's new in Panther. The section at the beginning covers the biggies (like Expos and the new security features), so that's probably all it really needs to do.
It's probably pretty clear by now that I liked the book, but I still had a few questions about Panther in general and the Missing Manual in particular. Lucky for me, David Pogue was willing to answer them for me - and here they are, in case you're wondering the same things I was:
ES: What are a couple of your favorite new Panther features?
DP: I'm just nuts about the secret buried just-for-fun features: the secret graphing mode of the Calculator; the choice of surface textures for the pieces in Chess (including Marble and Jaguar Fur!); the way you can Option-drag in Preview to copy only one column of text without snagging the adjacent column in the process. These are the kinds of grace notes that really distinguish the Macintosh from the more boring operating systems.
ES: Anything from Jaguar or earlier that you particularly miss?
DP: ALMOST all of the stuff that disappeared from Mac OS 9 has now come back into Mac OS X: labels, the clean install, spring-loaded folders, randomized desktop pictures, and so on.
A few niceties still haven't returned, though. Occasionally I miss the Put Away command, SimpleSound (for quick and dirty sound recordings), and the ability to encrypt a folder on the fly without leaving the desktop.
ES: Do you think that Apple's decision to more or less give up on writing their own manuals is a wise one?
DP: Well, as someone who's making a living filling the gap Apple left behind, obviously I have a vested interest in this point.
But the truth is, a lot of people never crack software manuals--I'm told this over and over again by software makers--and they are expensive and, more to the point, time-consuming to create. (Translation: Once the product is ready, the company wants to SHIP it--not wait around for manuals to be printed and bound.) And Apple certainly isn't alone in eliminating paper manuals.
For myself, yes, I rather wish my software programs came with printed manuals--they're infinitely superior to online help. Whether it's "wise" or not depends on whether you're a shareholder, programmer, customer, product manager...
ES: For those just switching to Mac OS from Windows, should they go for Mac OS X: The Missing Manual or Switching to the Mac? (Or both?)
DP: At this point, Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition. Because I haven't yet updated the Switching book to reflect Panther.
ES: What's another Mac book you'd recommend?
DP: There are many books that pick up in technological depth from where mine leave off. For example, if you're interested in digging deeper into the Unix underpinnings of Mac OS X, I hear great things about Mac OS X Unleashed. And if you want to become a Mac OS X programmer, of course, the whole O'Reilly line of Cocoa, Unix, and Java books await.
The bottom line: if you're a Panther user, you should probably pick up this book. You'll definitely be getting a lot of bang for your buck, even if you think there's nothing you don't know about Mac OS X.
You can purchase the Mac OS X: The Missing Manual from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
they've found the manual I was looking for.
Author: S Jobs
OS X is dying....
too much Karma is bad for you anyways. It causes corruption.
do() || do_not();
If you want extra mouse buttons, buy an extra mouse. Use the original as an emergency backup.
The manuals actually talk to him? I knew there was something strange about those Mac people. Obviously he's suffering from overexposure to a reality distortion field.
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but the GUI is fsking awesome!!!11 (esp. finder) and with maxthemes.com and swizcore.com...even better
But if you passed the class the first time, you wouldn't need to buy the book again, right?
I have DP's Missing Manual:Panther Edition and I do agree with the author's review. It's very informative -- not just for rank beginners to OSX, but to intermediates (and dare I say) pros. I've gleaned numerous bits of info (no pun intended) from going through the book thus far. I highly recommend it - especially if you're making the switch from another platform.
The PC Weenies: 11 Years of Online Tech 'Too
Major kudos to David Pogue for what sounds like another major success. He has restored my faith in documentation writers.
I've often wondered why we don't see more books of this caliber hitting the market. It shouldn't be that hard to write good documentation, should it? What does it take? As the reviewer states:
"It's true that OS X beginners can understand it without any problems, but that shouldn't suggest that it's somehow too simple for veteran users - it's just that the text is exceptionally clear, meaning that even beginners won't find it too scary or confusing."
OK, here they are!
1. Appropriate for a wide audience, novice as well as veteran
2. Clear
3. Concise
4. Accurate
5. Affordable
Thank You Mr. Pogue for writing yet another great piece of documentation and providing this an excellent of how to do it right. Give the man a medal!
O'Reilly has done a pretty good job with "The Missing Manual" books in the past, so I'd expect this one to be informative as well.
:-)
There are often small changes from version to version that are nice to have documented.
At the very least they make great gifts for family members that have recently purchased a new Mac or for people that want to upgrade to 10.3.
Not necessarily.
At my uni, sometimes you use the same book for two classes in sequence.
IE. Calc I and Calc II.
Vonal Declosion
But if I have two mice, assuredly they will reproduce. The last thing I need is hybrid mice running around on my desk. God forbid some should be cordless.
I am feeling fat and sassy
It's always in the last place you look.
CB
free ipod and free gmail!
sprinkled throughout are dozens of little productivity notes -- a keystroke here, a shortcut tip there -- and this is the stuff that I, at least, really get off on
Ewww. So what do you scream in a moment of passion? Apple, Option +?
For what it's worth, I also like Pogue's writing style. He's very clear, readable, and funny. I also own the OS X Unleashed book, which I recommend too, but it's hard to go wrong with a Mac book by David Pogue.
Then buy optical mice - they have no balls.
Meh. That bug was fixed in 10.3.1.
Yes, I can totally see how having the option to use my choice of three hundred exciting text editors, along wiht a myriad array of other incomplete, inconsistent software is so much better than a professionally designed machine. When was the last time you USED a Mac?
David Pogue (whom I was quoting) is a woman.
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You didn't feel like putting in much effort today, did you? :)
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
I think the titel of the manuals ought to be changed. The are not missing - they're not needed. Users don't NEED a manual in order to be able to use OS X productively. Isn't that the hallmark of a well though-out UI? The manuals should be called "The unnecessary manuals". The finer details of what's possible (like option-dragging in Preview) are kept from the average user simply in order to avoid confusion. And I think it's a good decision. Anyway, the missing manuals are nice books indeed but if you really want to use OS X to full advantage, you should get OS X Unleashed instead. IMHO the full power of OS X comes into play only when you are able to utilize the UNIX underpinnings to their full extent.
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
Please, don't spoil the joke with reasonableness.
Marry me Emma!
I realize this is /. but most mac users don't even wanna read long article, and certainly not a manual! They should make a graphic novel, or maybe a tutorial file for Ipods! ;~)
Fill in the small knowledge gaps. In each chapter I found at least one or two little gems that filled in some information I didn't know.
Give it to friends and family. If you are like me, you have acquaintances who are newer Mac users. Sometimes it is better just to have them read a particular chapter of this sucker rather than spend an hour explaining it to them. I suppose these folks should just buy the book as well, but that doesn't always happen.
Boom Shanka
stop trolling
I only use one button when I'm on my Linux box. Well, when I'm not working from an xterm, that is.
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I suggest unmerging your head from your ass.
I've found Audio Recorder to be a very nice little app. I keep it in my dock when playing with my acoustic. When the urge to record pops up, it's two clicks away. Allows multiple-format saving, etc.
your mom!
Sweet. I didn't know the pogues got back together. Hopefully the book comes with a pint of whiskey.
Drunken Shane the Mac Expert rules!
In case you were wondering (I was), get info on the calculator app in the finder. Under plug-ins, click "add...", and select. calcview ,
Calculator>Contents>Resources>Graphing-2D
and relaunch the calculator. Select graphing from the view menu. Pretty wimpy so far (try graphing sin(1/x) with the default params) but a good start!
Another plug-in is Hexadecimal.calcview .
You wasted a lot of electrons. Point one is wrong. The other points are too obvious to mention. I suspect the poster you're responding to was asking a rhetorical question anyways.
Stop trolling? See parent.
All die hard PC users (and probably most Linux users as well) can read...
...and supply their own punchline.
The finer details of what's possible (like option-dragging in Preview) are kept from the average user simply in order to avoid confusion.
Three Squirrels
Sounds like an interesting book... but will it tell me how to get my @$%&@& Powerbook to be able to print to a @()#%& network print server?
When I plug the printer into the USB it just KNOWS the printer, finds it's drivers and everything (once I've installed the Canon driver) but when you tell it to install a network printer, the Canon drivers are nowhere to be found. Gah!
All the Apple people say "Put the printer on the Mac and share it from there." It's a LAPTOP! I'm not putting a network device that needs to be accessed from everywhere else on a laptop!
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
I just got this book the other day, as I am about to go to OSX on the desktop (notice I didn't say Mac -- I'm having trouble accepting that I'm joining the cult). Anyway, the book is awesome.
I am particularly interested in learning the keyboard shortcuts and other efficiency-oriented material, and the book is full of this kind of stuff. I'd recommend it to anyone who's going to be spending time on a Ma-- in OS X.
dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
I own this book, and what I most love is the organization of information. I had just picked up the O'Reilly book on AppleScript, but decided to read Pogue's section on AppleScript after the "definitive guide" had my eyes glazing over. In 30 pages, he presents all the basic concepts and ideas, analyzes a few scripts, even runs you through recording a basic script in "watch me" mode.
Beyond that, he cites several websites which I immediately bookmarked, and cited a few books (including the one I have). He linked to the text2speech script at apple.com, described how and where scripts are accessed in the Script Menu, and discussed editing programs.
Pogue, like Apple, gets how people use computers. By speaking plainly but with precision, and citing from many sources, he has created a book that 90% of people will find immensely helpful.
We keep a number in stock at work (I work for a uni department currently mifgrating from OS9 to X one machine at a time). Each time we transfer a user we lend them a copy for reference - its the only tech manual I've seen that is as useful to an experienced user as a complete newbie - its the book I always recommend to anyone asking for a good book on the OS.
I just finished Dreamweaver: The Missing Manual, and it was great, too. Even though Pogue didn't write it, he did edit it, and it has the same clear style and readibility of the others. 800 pages of goodness!
You should call the police if there is someone putting a gun to your head and forcing you to buy a Mac.
Oh, there's not anyone doing that? Then *shut the fuck up*.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
and that you can also get 30% off if you've registered a previous edition with O'Reilly
I don't remember seeing that offer in my Pogue book...any details on this?
Not all of Apple's products are without manuals. The massive, well-printed documentation that comes with Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro is extremely useful. The manuals are very well-written and go far beyond simply explaining all the menu items one by one.
You have GOT to be kidding!?! Mac's are the most usable systems that exist. When you sit down at a Mac you are imediately productive no matter what you want to do. Not Like other OSs where you spend 30 minutes fiddeling and twittling with everything before you can even open a program like a word processer. The fact is that a WinXX system is only good for playing games on, a *NIX system is for development and/or server duty, while a Mac is for getting work done.
Period!
--
If I actually could spell I'd have spelled it right in the first place.
Go to http://localhost:631
Try dinking around there.
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
I bought my wife an iBook for Christmas and I couldn't believe how simple it was to set up and use. The best is plugging in almost any digital camera or DV cam and having it work immediately! No drivers, no cr@ppy free-in-box editing software. Everything is right there. My linux-shared printer worked immediately too. Meanwhile, I got my dad a digital camera and it took two hours and a half-dozen reboots and patch downloads to get it to play with his windows box! Arggh! Garbage! I have this book as well as the missing manuals for XP Home and XP Pro. They are great for the purpose of paper manuals...browsing for useful features. Online help is good for fixing problems...the paper manuals suggest what to do in the first place!
MacOSX source is available free, it's the GUI that's 'proprietry'.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
get lost in the first place? As a Mac user it would be nice if Apple would include more info on how to actually use OSX and it's benefits. I for one am tired of manuals.
I used to use SGIs and when I first booted a new SGI system it woould run the "Out of Box Experience" which would give me the lowdown on the new features with a multimedia presentation. The Mac which is supposed to be the king of multimedia doesn't include anything like this beyond the flying multilingual "Welcome" intro.
I think linux distros could benefit from something like this as well if they would like to make inroads to the desktop.
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
O'Reilly offers "upgrade" pricing on all of their books. If you have an earlier edition, and buy the latest edition from them, you get 30% off the retail price. Proof of purchase is the ripped out title page.
And then the Apple and Sun developers can get their hands on the next book in the series - Linux: The Missing Desktop to learn what REAL usability is all about.
I am Monkey, the Great Sage, equal of heaven!
I can't speak for the more recent editions of OS X Unleashed, but I bought the first edition and was not particularly impressed with its usefulness or its accuracy. Some of the errors were undoubtedly the result of simply not actually looking at the operating system before writing about it. In particular there was some confusion about the meaning of group ownership under BSD and OS X as opposed to SYSV or Linux.
Curvus Pro looks pretty impressive.
I'm a occasional Mac consultant, and I've been recommending this book to people mostly just on the reputation of Pogue and O'Reilly. Now it looks like I'll actually have to read it myself!
Apologies to George Carlin, I last heard this skit in HS.
GC: Hey ma, I just lost my yo-yo!!
GC's mom: Where did you leave it last?
GC: If I knew that, I'd still have my yo- yo!!
GC's mom: Well, it didn't just get up and walk away!!
She always got me on that, "it didn't just get up and walk away... then one day, I lost the cat.
GC: Hey mom! I just lost the cat
GC's mom: Well it just didn't get up and <coughs>
GC: Gee mom, I think you figured this one out
wow, you did a whois! you racist piece of crap...