Macworld Mac Secrets [Paperback]

David Pogue (Author), Joseph Schorr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0764540408 | ISBN-13: 978-0764540400 | Edition: Pap/Cdr

Macworld^® Mac^® secrets^® 5th Edition "The newly definitive Macintosh reference work, replacing the venerable Macintosh Bible." — The Washington Post "If you can only buy one book, you won't be sorry if you buy this one." —TidBITS "Mac Secrets should ship with every Mac that is sold." — Quill Services Web Book Reviews Completely revised and updated, this new edition of the international Macintosh bestseller brings you authoritative, thorough coverage of Mac OS 8.5, the red-hot iMac, USB, G3 Macs and PowerBooks, Office 98, and the Internet explosion — all with the expertise and humor you've come to expect from Pogue and Schorr! Overhauled and fatter than ever, this new edition packs over 650 new tips, productivity pointers, and troubleshooting techniques. Complete with a CD-ROM crammed with over 500MB of software and shareware, Macworld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition, will keep you — and your Mac — smiling! 100s of Mac Secrets Revealed and Mac Myths Debunked

• Double your Web surfing speed (Ch. 25)
• Make any icon, file, or folder invisible (Ch. 1)
• Create a high-speed Ethernet network for $8 (Ch. 35)
• Identify anything in your System Folder (Ch. 4)
• Keep your e-mail spam-free (Ch. 27)
• Make a PowerBook battery charge last 4 hours (Ch. 14)
• Marvel at Photoshop 5's secret keystroke list (Ch. 20)
• Automate your tedious tasks with AppleScript (Ch. 22)
• Exchange disks, files, and peripherals with Windows (Ch. 16)
• Use your fax machine as a scanner (Ch. 31)
• Troubleshoot almost anything (Ch. 36)
• Conversational AppleSpeak: USB, AutoStart worm, MacsBug, AppleScript, AOL 4, HTML, and much more!

Software Bonanza! Over 100 programs, including commercial software and award winning shareware! A partial list: Action Files 1.1 P** (trial) Anagrams CanOpener 3.0 ** Chiral Color It! 2.3 ** CoolViews DemoGod * Desktop Patterns (Wraptures) * DiskTracker Escape Velocity Extensis PhotoBevel ** FileTyper FinderPop GoMac GraphicConverter Hi-Res Map * HTML Vocabulary Internet Explorer 4.01 Kaleidoscope Label Secrets Pro 3.0 * Mac Secrets Ultimate Bookmark List * Mac Libs MacLinkPlus 9.71** MacsBug Maelstrom Netscape Navigator 4.07 OneClick 1.4** Outlook Express Pogue's Song Spoofs* PopChar Pro (demo) QuickTime 3.0 QuickTime VR Movies ShrinkWrap (trial) Start-up Sounds: the Complete Collection * Stufflt Expander TechTool Typelt4Me Ultra Recorder You Don't Know Jack Lite * Plus Macworld Mac Secrets, 4th and 5th Editions, in searchable electronic form! * A Macworld Mac Secrets exclusive ** Commercial software Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs as you like—free—but they may not include technical support.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author David Pogue emphasizes that MacWorld Mac Secrets is not for beginners or power users, but for "everybody in the middle." Instead of detailing how to do obscure tasks that only a few will want to know, Pogue divulges secrets and shortcuts that will help and intrigue the everyday Mac user.

You won't find any information on Systems 7 and 7.1 in the fifth edition of this guide; you'll have to refer back to the fourth edition for that information. However, this book does feature extensive coverage of OS 8.5 (and new secrets for OS 8 and 8.1), the iMac, digital cameras, AppleScript, and other updated topics. The included CD-ROM contains the entire printed version of the book in a searchable format, plus hundreds of dollars worth of commercial software--such as MacLinkPlus, OneClick, and ColorIt--for no extra cost.

This guide begins by identifying what all the System software that came with your Mac does and tells you what you need to keep and what you can delete. The next section covers the inner workings of the Mac and provides a model-by-model outline of what the older Macs are now worth and how they can be upgraded for maximum performance. The third section will probably be the most helpful to the majority of users: it shares all of the shortcuts and secrets within common Mac applications. A new section of this volume covers Internet-related issues such as modems, browsers, and e-mail. MacWorld Mac Secrets closes with definitions of all the possible attachments for your Mac and instructions on how to install them. An appendix lists all of the software on the companion CD-ROM and explains what it does. This serves as a fine reference book for the dedicated Mac user. --Cristina Vaamonde

From Library Journal

For your Mac community, you can't go wrong with these titles. Linzmayer's Apple Confidential is an unofficial history of Apple and a great read. Pogue's MacWorld Mac Secrets explains all the oddities about any Mac still in use, while his iMac guide follows the format of the "Dummies" series. Poole's MacWorld Mac OS 8.5 Bible completely explains Mac 8.5, the newest operating system upgrade.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1344 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Pap/Cdr edition (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764540408
• ISBN-13: 978-0764540400
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,382,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Pogue is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. Each week, he contributes a print column, an online column and an online video. His daily blog, "Pogue's Posts," is the Times's most popular blog. David is also an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News and a frequent guest on NPR's "Morning Edition." His trademark comic tech videos appear each Thursday morning on CNBC. With over 3 million books in print, David is one of the world's bestselling how-to authors. He launched his own series of complete, funny computer books called the Missing Manual series, which now includes 60 titles. David graduated summa cum laude from Yale in 1985, with distinction in Music, and he spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He's been profiled on both "48 Hours" and "60 Minutes."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Mac Book I Have Ever Encountered, January 21, 2000

By 

Dave - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macworld Mac Secrets (Paperback)

Barring none, MACWORLD MAC SECRETS is the best Macintosh book I have ever read, and there have been many:

*Macs for Dummies

*The Little Mac Book

*My iMac

*iMacs for Dummies

*Programming the Macintosh for Dummies

*The Mac is not a Typewriter....

Yet this book combines the information in all these books and adds some more. Some of the book's secrets aren't secrets just plain old useful knowledge. It goes through each item in the Apple Menu, the Control Panel, and the System Folder and tells what each is for (and what you can Trash).

But it does contain secrets. Lots of secrets never before printed. It also contains a plentiful amount of Easter eggs, and highlights some computer of Macs programing anomalies.

It also contains a CD which is worth the purchase price alone. While some of programs included on the CD are well known to veteran Mac users (the Ambrosia Software shareware games), others are not and some like author David Pogue's Holiday Spoofs are to be found only on the CD.

I regret to say that I would not order the previous editions because MacWorld Mac Secrets is a tad bit pricy & I am extremely frugal. Oh, alright, I'm a tight-fisted cheapskate. But after being told by so many people that I HAD to have the book, and with the overwhelming customer endorsements on amazon.com, I bought the book. I don't regret it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a GODSEND!, December 5, 2000

By 

SWS (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macworld Mac Secrets (Paperback)

This has become the most helpful & valuable of all my computer books. It's exceptionally well organized & written, and covers everything:

Hardware-- Every Mac & Powerbook from the beginning to the first generation G3's & iMacs

Operating Systems-- Each Mac operating system through 8.5 dissected and explained.

Software-- Lost of shortcuts for popular titles like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.

Peripherals-- Printers, CD-ROM drives, ADB, USB, SCSI--you name it!

I purchased this book when I bought my first used Mac and had to be my own Tech Support person. It's got a GREAT troubleshooting section and has helped me out even more than the "Mac Upgrade & Repair Bible." The included CD is exceptional--full of useful stuff, including the 4th Edition of Mac Secrets in its entirety.

If you own an older Mac, don't be without this book. Newer Mac owners would definitely benefit from a 6th edition--this one does not cover the Blue & White G3's, G4's, iBook or operating systems 8.6, 9 or OSX. And some of the included software, though useful, has become a little dated.

However, if a 6th Edition comes out--I"ll be getting that one as well!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK SHOULD SHIP WITH EVERY NEW MAC, September 18, 2000

By 

Geoff Lilley "MS Office Junkie, Poetry Lover,... (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macworld Mac Secrets (Paperback)

Yes, it's THAT good. I've read the Mac Bible, The Mac is Not a Typewriter, and Sad Macs, Bombs, and Disasters. While each of the aforementioned books are worthy in their own right, I felt that Macworld Mac Secrets was simply the most comprehensive, covered the most useful subjects, and of course, had the best STUFF on the CD. I used the 2nd edition on a fairly regular basis with my old Performa 6100, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use this current edition. As a matter of fact, I plan on buying the NEXT edition when IT hits the shelves next month. There is some useless trivia (like what note each Mac starts up in) which I could have done without, but, on the whole, this is a very thorough reference that no Mac user should be without.