Mac OS X Books - Page 12

Mac OS X for Windows Users: A Switchers' Guide

David Coursey

List Price: $19.99 By: Pearson Education Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $0.47

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Microsoft -> Operating Systems -> Windows - General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Don't waste your money or time. 1 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I am a life long PC user who also has 3 Macs. I just purchase 2 of the hottest new Macs for my video edit suite and saw this book on the shelf and grabbed it without opening it. I actually thought it would contain some useful information about the OS X and help me get up to speed easier. Foolish me for judging a book by its cover. This author should be ashamed of himself. The only thing worse than the content is the writing. I do recommend this publisher however for anyone who cannot write and doesn't have much to say because clearly they don't care either.

Bottom line - I purchased the Mac! I don't need to be validated or praised as a "switcher." The book is full of Mac ads and commercials and who needs that. What I wanted was to know how the Mac and PC are the same and how to get the job done in OS X not an assemblage of why the PC is inferior.

BTW: I don't write reviews but this book is so bad I felt it was a must.

Editorial Review:

You heard the buzz and made the switch: You're in good company! And here to prove it is Windows guru and CNET commentator David Coursey with Mac OS X for Windows Users: A Switcher's Guide. In this volume, Coursey draws on the experiences of real-world switchers to frame his own straightforward instructions on how to use Mac OS X. There's a lot involved in moving to a new operating system-files to be ported, software to learn, Internet and connectivity issues to iron out, and a new interface to unravel-but you'll find everything you need here to get up to speed quickly as well as understand the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between the Windows and Mac operating systems. Best of all, the information is presented from a Windows user's perspective: You print like that in Windows; you print like this in Mac OS X. You used to be a Windows pro; now you're a Mac pro!

Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther

Dave Taylor

Amazon Price: $19.95 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> Unix -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The stable, adaptable Unix underpinnings of Mac OS X surely have contributed to the operating system's fantastic success in the market. The trouble for the Mac loyal, though, is that nothing could be further removed from the friendly Mac user interface than the Unix shell environment. There's a learning curve to be surmounted by Mac users who want to get the most out of their new System, and that's where Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther comes into the picture. It's an introductory Unix and shell-scripting text tailored to the specificities of Mac OS X, suitable for someone who's never worked with Unix before.

Because the capabilities of the Unix shell are vast, the authors devote many pages to showing how key commands (like ls and chmod) work in the most commonly encounter scenarios. More usefully (because Unix help screens explain the basics pretty well by themselves), they carefully explain a lot of recipes that solve problems everyone encounters--like the fact that Unix and many Mac applications encode the line breaks in text files differently. The authors' style consistently succeeds in communicating both facts about Unix and a sense of adventure about what you can do with it. This is a real treasure for anyone wanting to get the most out of the latest Mac OS. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use the Unix operating system that underlies Mac OS X. Specifically, the authors show how to manage files, edit text with pico and vi, print text and graphics, and connect to the Internet. Special coverage shows how to explore the large assortment of open-source software suited to the Mac.

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell

Amazon Price: $31.16 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> Unix -> Shell
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An instant success among newcomers, longtime Apple® fans and serious Unix® users alike, the Mac OS® X operating system combines stability, simplicity and elegance, and a stunning user interface. What more could Mac users want or need? The answer, of course, is Mac OS X Panther--a sleek and powerful overhaul of Mac OS X that promises to revitalize your Mac with improved views of the system, significant improvements to favorite applications, and numerous added conveniences. As with its predecessor, Jaguar, Mac OS X Panther offers plenty of new territory to explore. To show the way, O'Reilly's latest Nutshell book, Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition offers all audiences--both longtime Mac users and hardcore Unix users--the most complete guide to this remarkable operating system. The latest edition of this all-purpose reference leads power users through the newly changed landscape of Mac OS X. Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition provides details about the user-interface elements, system and network administration, and scripting and development. If you want to probe more deeply into the BSD Unix side of Mac OS X, there's a section that delves "under the hood." The book also includes the most complete Unix command reference found in print--with each command and option painstakingly tested and checked against Panther. Even the manpages that ship with the system can't compete in accuracy! Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition offers a thorough treatment of Mac OS X Panther, from its BSD Unix foundation to the finer points of its user interface. It familiarizes readers with the Finder™ and the Dock, file management, system configuration, network administration issues, and more, including a clear picture of what's new Other topics covered in the book include:

• Filesystem overview
• Running Java® applications
• System and Network Administration
• Directory Services and NetInfo
• Scripting on Mac OS X Panther
• Using CVS
• Unix Command Reference
• An overview of the Apple® X11 distribution

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition is the indispensable guide for anyone who wants to know Mac OS X Panther inside and out.

Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks

Brian Jepson

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $0.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> Unix -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

With its rep for being the sort of machine that won't intimidate even the most inexperienced users, what's the appeal of the Mac® for hard-core geeks? The Mac has always been an efficient tool, pleasant to use and customize, and eminently hackable. But now with Mac OS® X's BSD core, many a Unix® developer has found it irresistible. The latest version of Mac OS X, called Panther, makes it even easier for users to delve into the underlying Unix operating system. In fact, you can port Linux® and Unix applications and run them side-by-side with your native Aqua® apps right on the Mac desktop. Still, even experienced Unix users may find themselves in surprisingly unfamiliar territory as they set out to explore Mac OS X. Even if you know Macs through and through, Mac OS X Panther is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before. Enter Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. The new edition of this book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Panther-specific components that you may find challenging. This concise book will ease you into the Unix innards of Mac OS X Panther, covering such topics as:

• A quick overview of the Terminal application, including Terminal alternatives like iTerm and GLterm
• Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo
• Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler (GCC)
• Library linking and porting Unix software
• An overview of Mac OS X Panther's filesystem and startup processes
• Creating and installing packages using Fink and Darwin Ports
• Building the Darwin kernel
• Using the Apple® X11 distribution for running X Windows® applications on top of Mac OS X

The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages" --commands that come with Mac OS X Panther, although there are no manpages. If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks will get you acclimated quickly to the foreign new areas of a familiar Unix landscape.

Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Maria Langer

Amazon Price: $24.99 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peachpit Press Amazon Marketplace: 82 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Software -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Observe the obvious, first! 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.

The series of books to which this one belongs is "Visual Quick Start guides." Not the sister "Visual Quick Pro Guides." So those above trashing this book should have hit themselves in the face with the book in order to see what is right on the cover.

This book is intended for those who need an introduction, not those on their third book or seeking power skills.

I have used "visual quick start guides" to gain beginner level usage of many different programs, including my move from MS to Mac. I find the format is consistent, targeted at the beginner and is exactly as the series title implies,"Quick Start."

These books are best at providing a vocabulary to discuss the software at hand. Which makes the thicker, harder to digest books easier to read. You can complete this book in a couple of weeks and be a competent user of Mac OS X panther, nothing more. It will introduce you to each feature and how it is used. Most of each page is dedicated to an image depicting the feature at hand with explanation, pointers and tips in text. It moves fast and the language is simple.

If you already are familiar with the Mac OS then another book may be better suited to your needs.

Editorial Review:

So you're finally ready to find out what all the fuss is about! Whether you're switching from a Windows system or upgrading from an older Mac OS, this task-based guide represents the surest way to go from 0 to 60 in no time flat with Apple's much anticipated Mac OS X Panther--more mature, powerfully enhanced, and with an improved GUI that will knock your socks off! In this thoroughly revised volume--which includes an expanded iApps section and new chapters on networking (including AirPort networking), security, Unix, Classic Environment, and System Preferences--you'll find the task-based, step-by-step instructions that have become the hallmark of Peachpit's enormously popular Visual QuickStart series. Veteran author Maria Langer uses plenty of visual aids and clear, concise instructions to step you through the process of installing and configuring the new OS before moving on to explore its many capabilities and bundled apps. Tips, tricks, and sage advice round out the package.

Mac OS X and iLife: Using iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD

Brad Miser

List Price: $39.99 By: Course Technology PTR Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $4.34

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Macs

Editorial Review:

Mac OS X v.10.2 is designed to enable anyone from digital media hobbyist to mid-level professionals take advantage of the amazing capabilities of Apple's suite of digital media tools. iLife is published by Apple, retails for $49, and combines iTunes for managing music, iPhoto for digital photography, iMovie for editing digital video and iDVD for creating your own DVDs.

Mac OS X Pocket Guide, 2nd Edition

Chuck Toporek

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Known as Jaguar, Mac OS X 10.2 is a stunning technical achievement that has seduced Unix, Windows, and Mac OS 9 users. Adopting Jaguar is easy; mastering this new OS can take a bit more. And no matter how good your reference books are, you can't always stop to thumb through hundreds of pages to find the piece of information you need. Concise, easy to use, and thoroughly updated to cover Mac OS X 10.2, this new edition of the Mac OS X Pocket Guide introduces you to the fundamental concepts of Mac OS X. It also features a handy "Mac OS X Survival Guide," that shows Mac users what's changed from Mac OS 9, and helps Windows and Unix converts get acclimated to their new OS.

The Mac OS X Pocket Guide, 2nd Edition shows you how to use tools such the Finder and the Dock, and includes an overview of the System Preferences, the Terminal application, and the Developer Tools. It covers all the essential commands and keys, includes basic UNIX command info, printer, modem configurations, and provides instant help when you need it at your keyboard or on the road.

This slim guide also includes a quick reference for creating special characters and a listing of basic keyboard commands. If you need to add a user, remove a user, correct OS preferences, log in, log out, tune the dock, or change passwords, you'll find the information you need easily in a book that really can fit in your back pocket. With over 250 tips and tricks, this practical, to-the-point Mac OS X Pocket Guide is a small but powerful roadmap to unleashing the power of Mac OS X.

Mac OS X Server Administrator's Guide W/CD

Andrew Russell, John Welch

List Price: $39.99 By: Premier Press Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $0.84

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Web Development -> Website Architecture & Usability
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Macs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

This book is outdated... 2 out of 5 stars.
20 of 20 people found this review helpful.

This book covers the older version of Mac OS X and is almost irrelevant in some cases to Mac OS X v2. Although it did help me out in some spots, there were a lot of things that I had to get from discussion boards to answer. At most, it is a run through of what to expect. But don't expect it to be anything like the new version of OS X server.

Should be recalled by the Publisher 1 out of 5 stars.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.

This book is (apparently) an early attempt to describe the setup, configuration and administration of Apple's OS X server. This kind of book is much needed but this one fails miserably because it is so woefully out-of-date. It does not address 10.2 Jaguar Server and, in fact, most of the screen captures and artwork are OS 9. When it does attempt to develop a subject it does so so lightly that it's almost a hoax. Avoid this book. Save your money. Look elsewhere. Print and read the Mac OS X Server Administrator's Guide that comes free on the 10.2 Server CD. It is ten times the book that this one is.

Editorial Review:

This book, targeted toward the more experienced Mac user, is an advanced guide to administering Mac networks and other networks that incorporate Mac machines. If you are a Mac administrator who is unfamiliar with UNIX and the new OS and who needs expert advice on working with the new UNIX kernel, this book is for you. You will quickly get up to speed with UNIX commands you need, leaving more time to focus on networking your Macs. This book also covers the most often used Mac OS features, including AppleTalk and TCP/IP protocol stacks.

Mastering Mac OS X, Third Edition

Todd Stauffer, Kirk McElhearn

Amazon Price: $39.99 List Price: $39.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sybex Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $0.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Software -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Apple's Mac OS X is a quantum leap in the operating system for the Macintosh computer, offering stability and depth that is unheard of in a desktop consumer-level operating system. There is a price for all this strength, however: OS X is far deeper and more complicated than any previous version of the Mac operating system. Mastering Mac OS X goes beyond Apple's own hardcopy documentation, which is minimal at best, and lays bare the workings of this state-of-the-art operating system.

Five main parts comprising 25 chapters make up this 800-page tome, covering such topics as installing Mac OS X; comparing X to OS X Server and OS 9.x; the new interface; network architecture; and configuring user accounts, privileges, and network communications.

Part III, "Getting Things Done with Mac OS X," discusses the use of the bundled applications (Mail, Address Book, Preview, Keychain Access, Grab, etc.), as well as the new printing architecture and how to set up printers and manage color with ColorSync; using QuickTime; and automating the OS and applications using AppleScript.

The book falls short on only a few things. There is little reference to its heritage (NeXT's NeXTStep OS) or other carryover features from NeXTStep (such as NetInfo), and not much about the Unix startup process and the scripts that run during bootup (although you will learn that you can hold down Command+V to see system messages during booting). The book is much more focused on bringing up to speed an experienced Mac user, not necessarily a user with some Unix experience who needs to know just how Apple is handling Unix.

There are many good things about this book--the troubleshooting section is informative, and there's a terrific chapter on using Terminal and writing Unix shell scripts. The appendix, "Installing and Setting up Mac OS X," in Mastering Mac OS X goes far beyond Apple's own minimal hardcopy documentation, as do the chapters on the preinstalled applications.

Mastering Mac OS X makes a fine handbook for users anxious to dig into the new operating system, and it offers a subtle introduction to some of the core Unix workings. --Mike Caputo

Sams Teach Yourself Mac OS X Tiger All in One (Sams Teach Yourself)

Robyn Ness, John Ray

Amazon Price: $39.99 List Price: $39.99 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: Sams Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $0.20

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> MacOS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Operating Systems -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Pretty Tiger 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Ness and Ray offer a comprehensive guide to much that the latest Mac OS X Tiger can do for you. For a company with less than 5% of the desktop market, Apple has still been able to stuff an amazing amount of functionality into Tiger.

Take for instance searching on the Internet. One of the core tasks that everybody does. Apple put together a cute meta-search engine, called Sherlock. If you give it a query, it forwards these to actual search engines like Google, Lycos or AskJeeves, and collects and displays the combined results. In itself, this is quite useful, as you can appreciate. Indeed, there are other meta-search engines that also do this.

Sherlock goes further. As the authors show, it has "channels". Specialised to key areas like pictures, stocks (finance), movies, eBay and flights (travel). These let you search websites with databases in those fields. To be sure, experienced users may not need this. But other, newer users might like this ease of use.

Then for amateur musicians, Tiger has GarageBand. The book explains how it lets you make your own compositions. Easy to use functions that cover much if not all of what you might want to do in your garage. Much cheaper than buying custom software, since it comes bundled into Tiger.

There is much more covered in the book. The above should give you some idea of what's available in Tiger.

Editorial Review:

The Macintosh environment is very exciting — and very confusing, especially for the first time user. What you need is one book that will guide you through all of the exciting features and programs that came with your new Mac. That's where Mac OS X Tiger All in One comes in. This thorough, easy-to-understand introduction to all of the components of Mac OS X Tiger will teach you how to easily work with Mac hardware, the operating system and all of the powerful digital media applications that are built right into your system. Did you know you can make your own music with a program called Garage Band? You can even burn CDs and DVDs using a program called iDVD. All of the features and programs in a Mac work together cohesively, so why consult multiple books that work against the natural flow of the Mac system? Mac OS X Tiger All in One is all you need to become a fluent Mac user.