Customer Reviews

Running Mac OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide to the Mac (Animal Guide)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Besides being for the Mac Power User, this book would be a great to give to a Windows Power User who is new to the Mac. It skips most of the stuff you can figure out on your own (coming from Windows) and gets right into the things that make a Mac a Mac. All the stuff you would expect is in the book or, in the case that it isn't, it refers you to other books that do.

It does a good job as a reference book, it's not really a start to finish read. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking to move up from "beginner" Mac user or making a lateral move from Windows Power User.

'Running Mac OS X Tiger' by James Duncan Davidson is for those Mac users that want to get beyond simply surfing the Internet, writing some emails and moving files from one folder to the next. Written in an easy to follow manner, this book will take you from the basics of using the computer that you love so much and move on to the next level. From scheduling tasks to learning more about the filesystem to creating accounts and managing users, this book is a joy for anyone that likes to tinker around and learn new things.

Chapter Overview:

01. History
02. Installation
03. Overview of Tiger
04. Terminal and Shell
05. System Startup and Login
06. Users and Groups
07. Open Directory
08. Files and Permissions
09. Disks and Filesystems
10. Printing
11. Networking
12. Monitoring the System
13. Automating Tasks
14. Preferences and Defaults

Recommending this book is a piece of cake. This has the brevity that I desire, yet the dense writing that I also seek. The chapters are logically laid out, and it's a joy instead of a task to read through this text and play around. If you want to learn more about how to make your Mac a powerful tool, pick up this book, you will not be disappointed.

***** RECOMMENDED

Doesn't waste any time with fluff. Just dives in to interesting details and what you want to know.

Running Mac OS X Tiger
A No-Compromise Power User's Guide to the Mac
By Jason Deraleau, James Duncan Davidson

If you are a power user on another platform, or a dedicated Mac user that wants to learn more, "Running Mac OS X Tiger" covers several topics that will help you understand and control your Macs at a much deeper level. Each chapter contains details on a topic, and includes ways of handling the given topic from both the familiar Macintosh graphical interface, and from the terminal (the command line).

My two favorite chapters, chapters Six and Eight, titled "Users and Groups" and "Files and Permissions" delve into issues that mystify and plague many Mac users. If you've ever had trouble creating, moving, or deleting a file on a Mac, you'll now know why, and how to get around these issues.

As the subtitle of the book suggests, this is not a book for beginners. Topics that may seem simple, such as Chapter 10: Printing, contain a vast and dizzying amount of information. This level of detail is both the strength and weakness of the book. Oddly, some things are explained at great length and in simple terms, yet at other times advanced topics seem to be glossed over in a cryptically geeky shorthand style of writing. This may not be an issue to those who are already power users on other systems (Unix, Windows), but it may be daunting to a Mac user looking to step up to the next level. Thankfully, the end of each chapter includes a "Further Explorations" section, which may help lift users up.

If your professional life revolves around a deep understanding of OS X, there are a select few (out of many available) books you absolutely have to have, and this book is one of them. It bridges the gap between GUI and command line administration of 10.4, and is concise enough to get you pointed in the right direction without being overwhelmed.

If you already own the prior version (Running Mac OS X Panther), there is a bit of redundancy, as much of the CLI remains unchanged, but the Tiger-specific info makes it well worth the price.

This is a fine introduction to the Mac OS X operating system. If you have any interest in diving below the icons, but don't know anything about Unix this book is for you. Screenshots are plentiful, but are used effectively. Some of the more difficult and esoteric Unix topics, like file permissions, are illustrated and described well.

MY MAC DOESN'T HAVE CURRENT SOFTWARE, BUT UPDATING TO OS X TIGER WAS MY BEST OPTION. AFTER INSTALLATION
REFERENCE TO THE USERS GUIDE WAS WORTH ITS' WEIGHT IN GOLD. (ALMOST)
EVERY QUESTION I HAD WAS ANSWERED IN THE MANUAL, SO IF YOU CAN READ PLAIN ENGLISH, YOU HAVE IT MADE.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MANUAL TO MAC OS X TIGER USERS AFTER TRYING OTHER SO-CALLED GUIDES.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

Are you a user or power user of Mac OS X? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Jason Deraleau and James Duncan Davidson, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that will help you master the latest version of Mac OS X.

Deraleau and Davidson, begin by discussing how the Mac OS X system operates to this day. Then, the authors show you how to get going with Tiger and help Tiger get going on your Mac. They continue by examining diverse tools and how they work together to form Apple's next-gen OS. Next, the authors show you how to use the Terminal and how to configure the various shells on the system. Then, they look at what gets executed when and what the various boot options are. They also dive into the question of why there are multiple users on the system and why they are gathered into groups. Next, the authors show how Open Directory works and how to modify data contained within it. Then, they explain the various attributes and permissions that a file can have and how to work with them. The authors continue by giving you the lowdown on the different kinds of filesystems you can use and the pros and cons of each. They then give you a detailed look at how printing works, and how to use print servers, how to connect with Windows-hosted printers, and even how to share your ink jet printer with Windows users. The authors also show you how the networking system works including wireless, spontaneous networking, and Internet Connection Sharing. They continue by covering the Console, System Profiler, Activity Monitor, and many other tools as well as give you the skinny on what to look for in your system's logfiles. Next, the authors dive into using Automator and other tools for automating your Mac. Finally, the authors show you how to modify preferences stored in the system in a variety of ways.

In this excellent book, you'll learn how to get the most out of the pretty GUI. You will also learn how to dive into the Unix layer of the system to take fine grained control when you need to.