MAC OS 9 for Dummies [Paperback]

Bob LeVitus (Author), Steven Bobker (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764506528 | ISBN-13: 978-0764506529 | Publication Date: November 11, 1999 | Edition: 1

Mac OS 9 is a big, complicated personal computer operating system. Mac OS 9 For Dummies is a not-so-big, not-very-complicated book that shows you what Mac OS 9 is all about without boring you, confusing you, or otherwise making you uncomfortable. Take a deep breath and get ready to have some fun.

Whether you're brand-spanking new to the Mac or a grizzled old Mac-vet, discovering the ins and outs of Mac OS 9 will be easy and fun. Mac OS 9 For Dummies is ready to help you to

• Master Mac basics
• Customize your Mac for multiple users
• Share resources on a network
• Save time with simple tweaks
• Automate with AppleScript
• Harness the advanced Sherlock 2 search engine

This book is chock-full of information and advice and explains everything you need to know about Mac OS 9 in language you'll understand. It's also supplemented with tips, tricks, techniques, and steps, served up in generous quantities. Mac OS 9 For Dummies covers all of the following topics, and more:

• The startup process revealed
• Desktop and menu basics
• File management made simple
• Memory of all kinds
• Timesaving tips
• Helpful control tweaks
• Introduction to AppleScript
• Internet surfing
• Troubleshooting

In addition to the wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques that you'll find in every chapter, the most useful element of this book just might be the chapter covering every inch of your System Folder. Finally, you can figure out just what each file is and why you need it or don't. If you think your Mac runs like a champ now, just wait'll you see it after spending time with this book.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With a new version of Mac OS comes a new edition of Bob LeVitus's popular Mac OS guidebook for beginners, now called Mac OS 9 for Dummies. If you have one of the recent previous editions, there's no reason to buy this one--the book, like the recent versions of Mac OS, bears a lot of resemblance to its forebears, and you probably progressed beyond the Dummies guide level with your first book anyway. But if you're entirely new to the Mac (if you recently received an iMac as a gift, say, or if you bought one yourself because you heard--correctly--that they're friendly and fun), this book explains what you need to know in a voice you'll enjoy reading.

Computer books can be confusing because there are always at least a dozen ways to accomplish a given task, and several more items or procedures that are related to that task. LeVitus gets around this potential snag with a mix of pragmatism and humor. He'll explain the standard way of doing a job--printing, say--and then digress into the details (such as page orientation and job logging). He applies that effective style to many subjects, including such potentially intimidating ones as networking and file sharing. Buy this book (or a very worthy competitor, Mac OS 9: Visual QuickStart Guide) if you're clueless about the ways of the Mac. You'll be up to speed with Mac OS features, new and old, in a hurry. --David Wall

Topics covered: The ins and outs of using a computer that's running Mac OS 9. Most of the book has to do with long-standing features of the OS, such as its file-management tools and networking capabilities, but the newly added features (including Keychain Security, Sherlock 2, and multiple user support) get their due.

From Library Journal

A little more than a year ago both Apple and the Mac were given up for dead. The only question was who was going to buy Apple. Suddenly Steve Jobs reappeared, becoming the interim CEO for no salary. Jobs introduced the iMac, the iBook, and the G3/4s, and Apple is back with a passion. Now the company's biggest problem is producing enough because everything is selling like crazy. Apple has a new operating system, OS 9, which is more than an incremental improvement over OS 8. Integrated within OS 9 is the AppleScripting language, a personal web server that can be easily set up on an ethernet, and Sherlock, which allows the Mac to search simultaneously on both the local hard drive and any connected networks, including the Internet, without taking over the way Microsoft's "Active Desktop" does. And then there is also the iBook, easily the coolest portable design imaginable. All of these guides are excellent for OS 9 and the iBook. If you have Macintosh users among your patrons, these texts will circulate as fast as the Mac is selling.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764506528
• ISBN-13: 978-0764506529
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Computers & Technology > Apple > Mac Administration

More About the Author

Edward C. Baig is the Personal Technology columnist for USA TODAY and the author of Macs For Dummies, 10th Edition. Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus pens the popular Dr. Mac column for the Houston Chronicle and is the author of Mac OS X® Snow Leopard For Dummies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A handy book - especially if you are new to computers, October 3, 2000

By 

"tjaniak" (Cadillac, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MAC OS 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

This is a great book for people who have no idea how to use a computer. It can be a bit too simplictic at times, which is great for "dummies." Its chapter on extensions is a nice inclusion, letting you know which can go and which must remain... giving you the ability to free up precious memory. It also has a nice listing of helpful and informative Mac related web-sites in the back.

This book quickly and concisely fills you in on all the basics you need to know to be efficient and productive with MacOS 9 or any MacOS really. But if you are looking for something more thorough, you may want to check out something like MacOS 9: The Missing Manual.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mac OS9, March 30, 2000

By 

Michael Freund (Panama City, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MAC OS 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

A friend of mine has this book. "So", you ask. This book was so helpful that I must buy it for myself. I am (was) a "Windows Wizard" who finally got tired of all the system crashes. I bought a new iMac DV and needed some help getting around the Mac arena. This book answered 95% of my questions (the rest I just have to play). Highly recommended to any Mac user.

3.0 out of 5 stars ma 0s 9 for dummiesc, February 10, 2010

By 

Geoffrey J. Deuel "jacvicsel" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MAC OS 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

but the book i purchased was missing the first two chapters. no worries. it only cost a $1 so no worries.

gjd