Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Second Edition (Paperback)

by David Pogue (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual ranks among the best books to have at your side as you explore the latest Macintosh operating system as an everyday user who wants to get some work done, have a bit of fun, and feel part of the Mac community. David Pogue--a respected Mac authority and longtime author on the subject--is the perfect guide on such a quest, as his Mac knowledge is profound and his ability to explain facts and procedures considerable. The second edition of this popular book covers Mac OS X 10.2 and all of its many new features, including Sherlock 3, iCal, iSync, and firewalling. There's coverage of .Mac online services, as well.

Pogue writes really well, so his prose is a treat to read and most readers will appreciate his occasional page-long straight prose passages. More often, though, the wisdom in this book comes in the form of annotated procedures and bulleted lists, as well as notes and tips. There are also two highly handy "Where'd It Go?" glossaries: one for longtime Mac users (this one answers such questions as where the Apple Extras folder is) and one for Windows users (to explain, for example, the equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the Mac). Unlike most books about Mac OS X, this one explores its UNIX-like underpinnings (the Apple implementation is called Darwin) pretty thoroughly. However, based on the logic that if you wanted to use UNIX, you would, Pogue emphasizes the traditional, graphical Mac interface over the Terminal window. If you want an in-depth treatment of Darwin and know something about UNIX already, have a look at Mac OS X for Unix Geeks. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use Mac OS X 10.2 and its immediate predecessors. This is a user-level book, concerned with managing files, folders, media, users, and hardware. Lots of attention goes to the operating system's special features, including the "i" series of applications and the .Mac online services.

Review
"An indispensable guide for Mac users that ought to come with every new Macintosh." Computer Shopper, July (4 stars)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 725 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly; 2 edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596004508
• ISBN-13: 978-0596004507
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #545,474 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The O'Reilly Missing Manuals Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book kept me from going crazy...., January 30, 2002

By	Carol Watkins (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mac OS X: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

If you have OSX or are thinking about installing it, this book is a MUST HAVE. OSX is a remarkable operating system, but I felt like I was back in the first grade trying to navigate between the world I was familiar with and this new one. After buying another book (that will go nameless) which offered absolutely no assistance at all, I discovered David Pogue's "Missing Manual." Finally, my computer and I became friends again. It is extremely well written and easy to follow. Every chapter holds countless tidbits of information, tips, and screen shots to guide you through the OSX maze. The "Programs and Documents" and "Back to Mac OS 9" chapters helped me tremendously in understanding how to work effectively with both systems. I've spent hours pouring over the information in this book and have highlighted hundreds of "must knows." I haven't attempted Applescripts yet, but I'm ready to try with this excellent resource in hand. I wish I had bought it months earlier. It would have saved me from some major headaches and the cost of several bottles of aspirin. Thank you, David Pogue!

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pogue hits another homerun!, February 9, 2002

By	Scott Rose "Computer Geek" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mac OS X: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

David Pogue is one of the best technical authors of our time, and once again he hits a homerun!
I've been using Mac OS X as my primary operating system for the last month, and I've had absolutely no trouble learning Mac OS X in record time. It's such a great operating system... so elegant, so user-friendly, so intuitive, so crash-resistant.
And so I wondered, "Okay... do I really need to purchase David Pogue's manual on Mac OS X? I mean, I have a really firm grasp on the OS to begin with!"
And as I started reading the book, the answer became a resounding YES! Before I had even finished the first chapter, I had already learned dozens of new tips, tricks, secrets, explanations, and reasonings that I did not know! Stuff that I didn't REALIZE I wanted to know until I read them in Pogue's book.
And as always, Pogue's breezy, friendly, & cheerful writing style makes this manual read like a gripping novel. You can read this from cover-to-cover without ever losing interest.
This book is a must read. It should come bundled with every copy of Mac OS X.

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully Useful for ANY OS X User, December 31, 2001

By	Russ Harlan (Augusta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mac OS X: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

I purchased "OS X: The Missing Manual" as a Christmas present for my nephew who recently migrated to OS X. I figured the manual would be a helpful "Getting Started" guide to him, and relieve me of a bit of tech support duty. Being a "power user" of OS X meself since the Public Beta days, I dun NEE no steenkin' manual, missing or no.

After spending about 20 minutes with this book, I was back at Amazon ordering a second copy. For <ahem> meself. (Power user or no.)

"OS X: The Missing Manual" was a long-time coming... but it covers Apple's new operating system clearly and comprehensively. The book presents a huge (HUGE) subject with clarity, wit, and delightfully useful tips that any (ANY) user of Mac OS X will find helpful, time-saving, and wicked cool.

David Pogue didn't give us the first manual for OS X... but he has delivered the best.

I wish all technical writing were this good.