Mac OS X in a Nutshell (Paperback)

by Jason McIntosh (Author), Chuck Toporek (Editor), Chris Stone (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This is a handy guide to turning the Mac into a web server platform. Computer Shopper, July (5 stars)

Product Description
In the tradition of O'Reilly's Nutshell series, this new title offers a thorough treatment of Mac OS X version 10.2, from its BSD Unix foundation to Aqua, the new user interface. The book's "Unix Command Reference" is the most complete and thorough coverage of Mac OS X Unix commands you can find anywhere. Each command and option in this section has been painstakingly tested and checked against Jaguar--even the manpages that ship with the system can't compete in accuracy. The reference incorporates the new command-line tools that come with Apple's Developer tools. It familiarizes readers with the Finder and the Dock, file management, system configuration, network administration issues, and more. Later chapters include bonus material for the Unix user, including advanced use of the Terminal and how to configure a DAMP (Darwin, Apache, MySQL, Perl/PHP) web publishing system. Mac OS X in a Nutshell provides a wealth of knowledge for anyone who wants to make the most of Mac OS X.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly; 1st edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596003706
• ISBN-13: 978-0596003708
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,276,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best I've seen so far, March 6, 2003

By	Anthony Lawrence "Unix, Linux and Mac OS X" (Middleboro, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the better Nutshell books. At close to 800 pages, it's jam packed with everything you would want to know about OS X. It's current through 10.2, and seems to have been updated as late as January 2003.

This is a techy style book. It's not a hold your hand book, but it isn't an entirely dry reference work either. It's something in between, and it is very well done.

In addition to a detailed command reference and an extensive faq-like how-to section, there are complete chapters on networking, printing, scripting and development, X windows and more. Very complete, very well written.

The command reference section is extensive and seems to be very complete. This isn't just a rehashing of man pages, and doesn't just pick up the most common stuff. I checked for a number of the more obscure Mac OS X specific commands that nobody ever mentions: this book has them.

The Development section is more than 100 pages itself. Although I really haven't even started to look at OS X development tools yet, this looks like a very good introduction.

Overall, this is the most complete Mac OS X book I've reviewed to date. I definitely recommend it without any hesitation.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I Only Could Buy Just One Book On OS X, February 11, 2003

By	"idkaufman" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This would be it! Being a big fan of O'Reilly and the Nutshell books, my expectations were very high. And, after reading the blurbs and seeing the table of contents, my expectations rose. Needless to say, my expectations were met, and perhaps, exceeded. This approximately 800pp tome is chock full of information. If you are using OS X purely as an end user, to run apps like Photoshop, and have no inclination to dig deeper, than this book isn't for you. But, if you consider yourself a Power User, or are looking to become a Power User, or just want to have a deeper understanding of what is going on behing the pretty GUI, than this book is for you.

The book covers everything from system configuration to UNIX command line interface. It may not be the most complete reference for everything is discusses, but it goes into enough depth to achieve a modest level of comprehension, and if you want more, it points you in the right direction. It gives tips on installing X Windows, recommends some window managers (note, this was written before Apple's own X11 software became available in beta form), and even talks about how to get, install, and use Fink.

It also covers Netinfo, and how it differs from regular UNIX config files. And, not only does it discuss when, how, and why, but also how not to use Netinfo.

Bottomline, I heartily recommend this book for anyone wanting to really understand what is going on, and how to effectively manage your OS X system. I just hope they make an OS X Server version as well.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A geek's delight, May 9, 2003

By	Michael McKee "mystic cowboy" (Port Townsend, WA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Other reviewers have claimed that this is a great book for all levels of Mac users. Not. If you don't have an informed opinion about the relative merits of vi vs. emacs or don't even know what that means, there are far more appropriate OS X books for you. Pogue's "OS X Missing Manual" or William's "Little OS X Book" come to mind.

Consider this; while the Unix command chapter takes up nearly a quarter of the volume there's not a single mention of iTunes. This is not a general purpose Mac book. It is clearly aimed at advanced to expert user who wants to dig into the Unix underpinnings of OS X. At that it is great. The writing is clear, the explanations straightforward. It is well indexed. And it doesn't weigh 10 kg. It is an excellent addition to O'Reilly's Nutshell series, mostly aimed at programmers or system administrators.