Mac OS X Panther All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (Paperback)

by Mark L. Chambers (Author) "It's human nature to require instant gratification from your software..." (more)
Key Phrases: message window toolbar, drive territory, digital hub, Disk Wolfgang, Printer Setup Utility, Script Editor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
7 books in 1 – your key to taming the Panther!

Your one-stop guide to setting up OS X and using the latest Panther features

Wow – a whole set of OS X guides under one cover! All the new stuff is here, like iChat AV, Fast User Switching, and all the iLife™ applications including iTunes®4, Expose, and the latest incarnations of the Finder™ and Apple Mail®. Customize your Panther, explore the digital hub, check into AirPort, and enjoy it all!

The Dummies Way

• Coverage of the essentials and beyond
• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Thumbtabs and other navigation aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Navigate OS X and run programs
• Make repairs with Disk Utility
• Set up multiuser accounts
• Use iTunes and iPod™
• Expand Internet storage with iDisk
• Upgrade your internal hard drive

From the Back Cover
7 books in 1 – your key to taming the Panther!

Your one-stop guide to setting up OS X and using the latest Panther features

Wow – a whole set of OS X guides under one cover! All the new stuff is here, like iChat AV, Fast User Switching, and all the iLife™ applications including iTunes^®4, Expose, and the latest incarnations of the Finder™ and Apple Mail^®. Customize your Panther, explore the digital hub, check into AirPort, and enjoy it all!

The Dummies Way

• Coverage of the essentials and beyond
• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Thumbtabs and other navigation aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Navigate OS X and run programs
• Make repairs with Disk Utility
• Set up multiuser accounts
• Use iTunes and iPod™
• Expand Internet storage with iDisk
• Upgrade your internal hard drive

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 740 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764543253
• ISBN-13: 978-0764543258
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,004,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Frustratingly verbose, September 3, 2004

By	Anthony (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

Chambers seems to cover the required material for Mac OS 10.3 OK, but he could have said it in less than half of the 692 pages if he kept his all-to-frequent attempts to be entertaining out of the book.

Example: ". . . drag the default bar at the bottom of the window to the toolbar at the top. This is the toolbar equivalent of tapping your ruby slippers together three times and repeating, 'There's no place like home.'" (p.-175). He carries on like this to the point of distraction.

I would recommend two other books: Easy Mac OS X, v10.3 Panther ©2004 (288 pages) by Kate Binder - much more clear than Chambers, and has lots of screen shots to show how to set up and use OS X. The second book, Mac OS X Panther Unleashed ©2004 (1673 pages) by John & William C. Ray - delves into technical details, but also covers all the information non-technical users need.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apple should ship this book with Panther!, February 23, 2004

By A Customer

If you have ever been unsure about updating your Mac to OS X 10.3 Panther, this is THE book to have right by your side. (and that goes double if you have made the right decision to switch from Windows to Mac!) I have had a Macintosh for 3 years now and I have never felt as well-prepared as I feel after reading this Mac classic.

With over 700 pages you would figure that things would get overwhelming or boring pretty quickly. The book is so well organized and Chambers writes so well that I really did read this Dummies book from cover to cover, and that is the first time I have ever truly enjoyed a computer book. When you aren't laughing at the humor you are learning a LOT (for me the tough spots in Jaguar were always networking and security, both of which are fully explained). The author has a writing style that reminds me of Al Franken, if Franken was a computer expert.

When I saw all-in-one in the title I figured I would find all I needed to know about Panther itself. The book did not disappoint there, but what I did not expect was the indepth tutorials and descriptions of all of the ILIFE applications. Every setting is explained and everything is demonstrated with easy steps and screen snapshots. If you want to learn some of the optional super-technical side, Chambers keeps the guru stuff marked with icons too.

If you are nervous around your Macintosh or you want a complete guide before you jump into Panther, you certainly won't find a better book than this one. Thanks to the Dummies crew again!

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother, March 21, 2004

By A Customer

If you've used a Mac for more than six months you probably already know 90% of what's in this so called "Desk Reference". Taking just one chapter (Jamming with iTunes and iPod) as an example:

* The discussion of the iPod is confined to one page, 4 paragraphs. It ends with "The best thing I can say about the iPod and iTunes combination is ... well ... that there isn't anything else to say about them."
* There is a mention that you can store Address Book information and your iCal info on your iPod but nothing to tell you how to do it.
* The book makes no mention of sampling rates when it discusses ripping CDs for iTunes.
* The book doesn't mention Smart Playlists at all.

Don't waste your money like I did.