Mac OS 9 (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Maria Langer's guides to the Macintosh and the Mac OS operating system have always been highly regarded for their comprehensiveness, intelligent writing style, and attention to detail. Mac OS 9: Visual QuickStart Guide continues her string of gems, incorporating coverage of the Sherlock 2 search tool and the other new additions to Mac OS.

You'll find information on the new Keychain Security feature, Apple Verifier, and multiple user support. Plus, there's some material of special interest to iBook users (the iBook runs Mac OS 9) and a "fine-tuning" chapter that's packed with high-quality nuggets that don't fit well elsewhere.

The Visual QuickStart format centers on close integration of text and illustrations. Assuming almost nothing, it is well-suited for users who aren't sufficiently familiar with the Mac environment to explore much on their own. There's a spread, a page or two in length, for each of several hundred tasks (sending an electronic mail message and changing the default printer, to cite two examples). Each spread has a series of steps for you to follow, next to which appears a series of screen shots that show, comic-book style, what you're supposed to see as the process moves along. Langer gets a chance to share her deep knowledge of Mac OS intricacies in numerous tips and brief conceptual explanations. --David Wall

Topics covered: Mac OS 9 for beginners and intermediate users. You'll see that the Finder (that's the file-management environment in Mac OS) is explained here, along with SimpleText and the other applications that ship with the operating system. Detailed chapters cover simple local area networks (LANs), printing, Internet connectivity, and Sherlock 2.

Product Description

Provides a easy, visual approach to teaching Mac OS 9, using pictures to guide you through the software and show you what to do. Softcover.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201700042
• ISBN-13: 978-0201700046
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,889,033 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for new Mac users, January 20, 2000

By	M. J KILLEEN (Collingdale, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You may have recently purchased a shiny new Blueberry iMac, and -- if you're like me -- discovered that the much praised Mac OS graphical user interface is not quite as intuitive as legend has it. As a Windows user for many years -- I was stumped by the lack of maximizing windows, right-clicks and Explorers. The information is often difficult to find in the Mac help files, and the iMac comes with very little documentation. THIS BOOK makes it all clear very, very quickly. Like all the books in this excellent series, every step is fully illustrated and completely explained. I am using my iMac now in ways I didn't even dream I could.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great value priced book on Mac OS9, April 11, 2000

By	Ivan Shepperd (Richardson, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently bought my first Mac and after many years as a Windows programmer and an Amiga enthusiast before that. Suddenly I was a newbie again. This book helped me get over that very quickly. It's a fast way to get going. The author breaks up each aspect the OS into one or two page bites with enumerated instructions, making it easy to digest and even find things in a hurry. If you determine you are reading some aspect of the OS you already understand, the layout makes it easy to skip to the next part. She also includes lots of tips that add to the basics.

There are LOTS of screens shots; usually 3 to 4 per page. The prices is right and they don't include a CD-ROM which so many computer books do. That only inflates the price and rarely adds anything of value.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and direct, October 30, 2001

By	Stephen McHenry (Olney, MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Having just purchased a Mac G-4 for my son for his graphics work, I wanted to learn to use it as well. All my previous experience being with Windows I was a little nervous as to how long it would take to get working familiar with the OS system, which turned out to be no time at all thanks to this book. It gets right to the topic, lots of pictures of the screens you are using, lets you know when there is more than one way to do something, lets you know where it the book parts of the same topic are gone over in different detail. You can skip around in the book to find what you want without losing any continuity, or do like I did and just start at the begining. The information is presented straightforward and easy to understand. I could not have asked for a better teaching book.