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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.
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.
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.
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
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 went from a Linux user at home and VB Programmer/Windows/Linux network admin at work to a totally OS X oriented guy. You won't regret the switch. I've had my 14" iBook laptop since late 2003, and people still think it's brand new. It still feels brand new. The OS is awesome, especially for anyone that's used *nix. I couldn't be happier. I could see myself going back to Linux in five or ten years just so I can play with it, but right now I doubt I'll ever use anything for as my primary system other than OS X. It took me a while to admit it is a Mac. People are dumbfounded when I go from talking about how much I love my Mac into a diatribe about how much I hate them. (When I say I hate them I'm referring to Mac OS systems, not OS X.) The hardware: A+ The software: A+ The OS: A+ You can't beat this system. It's awesome. Just be sure you add RAM, they never come with enough...
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.