50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques [Paperback]

Joe Kissell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764539116 | ISBN-13: 978-0764539114 | Publication Date: May 2, 2003 | Edition: 1

• Includes 50 fast and easy effects for streamlining and customizing Mac OS X that any user can achieve almost instantly.
• Each technique is fully illustrated.
• All techniques are explained with a proven step-by-step format.
• Each professional-level technique takes no more than five minutes to accomplish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…very attractive…an excellent companion website…let the fun begin…” (www.applelinks.com, 17 October 2003)

From the Back Cover

"Take my advice–you can use Mac OS X more effectively by following Joe’s clever techniques"
—Adam Engst, TidBITS

Whether you’re a first-time Mac user or a savvy veteran, the fast, easy Mac OS X techniques in this book will make you much more productive. Each technique is fully illustrated and explained by veteran Mac developer Joe Kissell, who knows and shares all the ways to make Jaguar purr like a kitten. And each technique can be accomplished in just minutes!

Your Easy Guide to Mac OS X Tricks and Techniques

• Get comfortable with the Terminal application and take advantage of Mac OS X’s Unix power
• Customize the Aqua interface to meet your needs and restore "missing" Classic features to Mac OS X
• Communicate wirelessly using Bluetooth and share files with Windows computers
• Modify the Dock and begin using file launchers
• Turbocharge your mouse and discover hands-free computing with speech recognition
• Set up and use the new digital hub features, including iCal, iPod, iSync, iPhoto, iDVD, and iTunes
• Automate maintenance functions to keep your Mac at peak performance

Companion Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/kissell provides supplemental information, additional insights, updates, and other valuable data for each technique, as well as links to resources and discussion groups.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764539116
• ISBN-13: 978-0764539114
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Computers & Technology > Apple > Mac OS X UNIX

More About the Author

Joe Kissell is Senior Editor of TidBITS, a Web site and email newsletter about the Macintosh and the Internet, and the author of numerous print and electronic books about Macintosh software, including Take Control of Mac OS X Backups and Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac. He is also a Senior Contributor to Macworld and was the winner of a 2009 Neal award for Best How-to Article. Joe has worked in the Mac software industry since the early 1990s, and previously managed software development for Nisus Software and Kensington Technology Group. He has been on MacTech's list of the 25 most influential people in the Macintosh community since 2007. When not writing about Macs, Joe likes to cook, travel, walk, watch movies, and practice t'ai chi. He also runs a number of Web sites, including JoeKissell.com and the popular Interesting Thing of the Day (itotd.com). Joe lives in Paris with his wife, Morgen Jahnke, their son, Soren, and their cat, Zora.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best technical book in many years, August 23, 2003

By 

Bjarne Norup (Silkeborg, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques (Paperback)

This is really a rare book. Not stupid-funny, and so knowledgeable and pedagogic. I had bought my new iMac, the first since my Mac+ nearly 20 years ago. It looked like a modern Mac, and worked as such. Then I got Joe Kissel's book! And discovered all the stuff underneath. The holy grail of UNIX. And how smart the engineers at Apple still are! I was amazed by how many intelligent goodies they have put into the box. And really enjoyed the profound know-how of Joe Kissell, and his many step-by-step guided tours into the heart of the iMac. I learnt to install a firewall- and that I already had a firewall in my box. I was taught GIMP, and file sharing, and all about the iApp's. Backing up, booting and so on. Apache-in-the-box too. Thank you VERY much, Joe!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Kissell magic for 50 Fast MAC OS X Techniques, September 9, 2003

By 

Martin Krupitsky (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques (Paperback)

Joe Kissell writes for both the techie and we "normal" folk. His teaching of UNIX basics leaves you with knowledge, not boredom, and is worth the price of the book by itself. Most of the improvements he describes for both OS X and MAC are useful, and in some cases just plain fun, to any MAC user, and his ability to explain his techniques to the reader is an absolute pleasure. Can't wait for his OS 10.3 version.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to help one get the most out of Mac OSX, October 21, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for all us souls who use OSX. The techniques are almost always a way to either solve a particular problem or learn a particular tool. I have only gone through about 30 of them, but each one has made my life either a little easier or a lot. A couple of examples are that I know understand how to best utilize the Finder and am no longer intimidated by Terminal. The style is breezy and very easy to understand without being condescending or dumbed-down. Strongly recommended