Macworld Mac OS X Bible (Paperback)

~ (Author), Dennis R. Cohen (Author) "Mac OS X marks a new beginning for Macintosh computers..." (more)
Key Phrases: speech commands window, main library folder, alert sound settings, Network Preferences, Help Viewer, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Macworld Mac OS X Bible offers a comprehensive look at what is arguably the most complicated and advanced operating system currently available for consumer-level PCs. OS X represents a major step in the evolution of the Macintosh computer, but it is not an easy step. The authors understand this and present OS X in a clear and unintimidating way.

The book weighs in at nearly 800 pages and the authors have covered nearly every aspect of OS X. From installation through maintenance and good backup habits, they explore Mac OS X and all its installed applications. There are few stones left unturned, including such important new concepts as the "superuser" account, the NetInfo Manager, and access rights and privileges.

The friendly and clear style of the writing masks the complexity of OS X and discussing it in bite-size chunks will help any level of Mac user understand. Each chapter is littered with sidebars, notes, tips, and tricks, offering an abundance of information on everything from setting a default Web browser to connecting pre-OS X Macs to their newer brothers to writing scripts in the new AppleScript.

If you're attempting to upgrade, have upgraded, or plan on diving into OS X, keep the Mac OS X Bible handy. Even browsing through the pages long after you've upgraded is a sure way to pick up a new trick. --Mike Caputo

Product Description

This is new-generation follow-up to the best-selling Macworld Mac OS Bible, the latest edition of which has over 60,000 copies in print. This totally revised edition delves into Apple's powerful new OS X. The book is packed with hundreds of helpful explanations, tips and techniques from Mac gurus Lon Poole and Dennis Cohen.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 936 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076453467X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764534676
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #998,265 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mac OS X Basic, December 28, 2001

By A Customer

OK, I have nothing really against this book. If you are new to Macintosh and have decided to take the plunge, or if you are a basic Mac user who would like to have the new OS's standard features explained to you, then by all means, get this book. I'll give it 5 stars for beginners.

But if you are at all interested in what makes OS X such a exciting step forward for all Mac users (namely it's Unix underpinings), then get another book. This book taught me nothing I could not learn from playing with the OS for an hour. (Don't underestimate the value of Mac OS X's new Help files)

If you are interested in learning the more interesting features of OS X, I recommend checking out Mac OS X Unleashed by John Ray

BTW, OS X is awesome. If you are thinking about installing it on you G3 or G4, go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

Cheers

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Superficial, March 23, 2002

By	D. Sinacola (Whitefish, MT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a beginner and have just graduated from "Mouse Movements and Double Clicking 101", then this book is for you. I was disappointed that a book with "Bible" in it's title could be so superficial. But if you need to read entire pages on how to open and save files, what an alert box is and how to click "OK", then go for it, you will especially enjoy the HUGE pictures of screen shots with the small paragraph of descriptive text on each page.

But if you have any notions of setting up file sharing groups and privileges (without buying OS X Server), you might find the single paragraph on page 357 quite inadequate. Of course, you can do it from the Unix command line, which I wouldn't really expect this book to cover, but you can do it with the GUI interface NetInfo Manager as well. Sorry, you won't even find the word "utilities" in the index of this "Bible."

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All's well that ends well., December 19, 2001

By	Don DiMarco (Jupiter, FL) - See all my reviews

With great anticipation I cracked open this latest edition of Lon Poole's classic book. Imagine my surprise and dismay when I discovered that it didn't actually cover version 10.1! I immediately called the publisher to complain, and to my delight, they sent me a CD-ROM containing an entire 10.1 PDF update to the book. What started out as a bummer worked out to my advantage in the end, and now I've got the supremely portable (10.1) edition. Hopefully they'll integrate this stuff into a future printing (which would earn it a "5"). In the meantime, I can attest that Lon Poole hasn't lost a step in his lucid, thorough treatment of the latest rev of the latest Mac OS. Thanks again, Lon!