Mac OS X Panther for Dummies (Paperback)

by Bob LeVitus (Author) "Congratulate yourself on choosing Mac OS X, which stands for Macintosh Operating System X - that's the Roman numeral ten, not the letter X (pronounced..." (more)
Key Phrases: prohibitory sign, flashing question mark, parent icon, View Options, Page Setup, Mac Help (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Set preferences, manage folders, and check out iTools

Pounce on cool features like the all-new Finder, iChat videoconferencing, and more

The doctor is in! Let "Dr. Mac" help you put Panther through its paces and see what a cool cat it really is. Discover how to customize your desktop, wander down the Dock, get online with new mail features, jump into iLifeTM, share your Mac, do all that Classic stuff, and make your Panther purr.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Brush up on OS X basics
• Find your way around the Dock
• Open, resize, and move Finder windows
• Use Open dialog boxes and Save sheets
• Work with removable media

From the Back Cover
Set preferences, manage folders, and check out iTools

Pounce on cool features like the all-new Finder, iChat videoconferencing, and more

The doctor is in! Let "Dr. Mac" help you put Panther through its paces and see what a cool cat it really is. Discover how to customize your desktop, wander down the Dock, get online with new mail features, jump into iLife^TM, share your Mac, do all that Classic stuff, and make your Panther purr.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Brush up on OS X basics
• Find your way around the Dock
• Open, resize, and move Finder windows
• Use Open dialog boxes and Save sheets
• Work with removable media

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (November 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764541684
• ISBN-13: 978-0764541681
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #613,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty clear and a quick read, January 13, 2004

By	A. Butterfield (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this while waiting for my first ever Mac to arrive, so I suppose it's a credit to Levitus that I felt relatively confident about using it pretty much straight away. The book covers relatively basic topics like the Finder, saving files, navigation, file management etc. As a lifelong Windows user, it all seems pretty familiar stuff.
What it doesn't cover, except in passing, is stuff like how to use the Superdrive, or standard OSX Applications. Oh, they get a half-page mention, but this isn't the book that tells you everything in great detail.
Think of it more as a starting point. But at least it isn't daunting and over-technical.
I found the endlessly jokey tone of the writing a little irritating, like being with a used-car salesman. It's a little bit "loud" if you know what I mean. I also wasn't that impressed by the illustrations which often seem to be on a different page to the one they're described on, needlessly.
Anyway: it's pretty cheap, a quick read, easy to understand, but don't expect in-depth information.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this book, August 16, 2004

By	J. Harris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After being spoiled by Dummies books by David Pogue, it came as a surprise that this is 0ne is not for beginners or even those coming from OS9. Terms are used that are not defined,there are misleading illustrations, and totally confusing directions. If you already know OSX this may be of some help but don't start with this.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Hasty Job, September 20, 2004

By	Barbara Moore (Santa Fe) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have found more faulty references in this book than helpful ones. I'll cite just one example. I wanted to find out more about the "Find" function in Panther, in particular about how to extract the location of the "found" file when I'm looking at a trail of unnamed "folder" icons. The index sent me to page 82 (the only reference to "Find"). The information there was a tiny paragraph languishing under the heading "Desktop Madness." It said, "Use the Files->Find command when you can't remember where you put it in a file or folder." (sic). Then the second and last sentence: "This command is a Mac OS X feature that really kicks some butt. I discuss it in detail in chaper 12." Guess what? Chapter 12 is called "The Fail-Safe Guide to Printing." No more references to "Find." You know whose butt I'd like to kick. Enough said.