Hacking Mac OS X Tiger : Serious Hacks, Mods and Customizations (Paperback)

by Scott Knaster (Author)
Key Phrases: information property list, inside application bundles, importer project, Interface Builder, Property List Editor, Top Tunes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This serious, but fun, down-and-dirty book will let you make Tiger purr, ensuring that your Macs appearance, speed, usability, and security settings are what you want. Author Scott Knaster:

• Shows you how to speed it up, lock it down, or pull back the curtains.
• Dives into default system settings, unlocks hidden gems, and includes original Mac OS X programs with full source listings and explanations.
• Shows heavyweight hackers the tricks and modes of OS X booting, tweaks for login screens, and how to customize or even kill the Dock.
• Offers the inside scoop on Dashboard and Spotlight, including two sample widgets and one Spotlight importer, all with fully annotated source listings.
• Demonstrates how to install and use Unix and X11 applications, take advantage of command line tools, and create system services and active Dock badges.

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From the Back Cover
Hack your perfect Mac

Got a little maverick in you? Sure you do. That's why you chose a Mac in the first place. And now there's OS X Tiger, just begging you to get in there and create your dream machine. Here are serious hacks you won't find anywhere else—ways to change the boot screen, unlock hidden Finder settings, enhance speed and performance, and really customize your Mac. Make your backups and start making tracks!

There's something for everyone—basic user, advanced tinkerer, or serious programmer

Part I—Tips

• Clone dashboard widgets
• Dicker with the Dock
• Outsmart iTunes playlists

Part II—Mods

• Tweak application bundles
• Create Automator workflows
• Customize iChat

Part III—Hacks

• Badger your Dock
• Build a widget
• Go commando

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Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; annotated edition edition (July 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076458345X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764583452
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,458 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decent collection of stuff including source code, July 15, 2005

By	SpookyTooth (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

I was looking for a book with medium to advanced info on Tiger and this one seemed to fit the bill. I was a little concerned at first when it started off with user tips which were handy, but I wanted more technical stuff. The latter parts of the book really delivered. There's well done sections on Automator and Quartz Composer. The best part is the last chapters which have programs with source for Dashboard, Spotlight, dock badging, and a few more. My advice is skim the first few chapters and pay attention to the rest.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect blend of tips and technique, August 6, 2005

By	Mel Beckman (Oxnard not just a pretty name, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love clever tips, and Scott Knaster delivers a ton of them here, many seen nowhere else. But this tome goes way beyond tips, diving into the gnarly details of Tiger that others have glossed over, such as application internals, Widget construction, and Unix command language. So many Mac books are just a rehash of the surface of the user interface. Scott's book is way ahead of the pack.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Empowering your Mac in steps., December 30, 2006

By	Jennifer B Davis "--sigje" (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is most effective if you are sitting in front of your Mac system whether it's a laptop or desktop. Work your way through the examples from start to finish, reading the chapter introduction before embarking on each adventure. While hacking is generally viewed as a more skilled or extremely geeky term, this book is clearly useful to experienced beginners who want to gain expertise in the functionality/usability of their Mac (as well as those who want to explore modifying their Mac more extensively).

Part I of the book is dedicated to a gentle introduction to the components that make up Mac OS: the finder, dashboard, dock, preferences, user interface, startup, iTunes, utilities, unix applications, terminal, and shell commands.

Part II is strictly for those ready for the "Advanced Mac" training.

Although most people see the GUI portion of the OS, keep in mind that the "engine" underlying the GUI is Unix and 'hacking' the Mac will at some point descend into command line editing. Rather than be daunted by exposure to typing in your commands instead of having your desires constrained by what some application interface designer decided you could change with a GUI, embrace the power of the OS. Knaster slowly prepares the reader for the more advanced adventures as he introduces the Terminal in the "Quit the Finder" example. Seeing each following example you can build an idea of what you are doing by looking at the similarities of the commands. Rather than just limiting you to what he knows, Knaster is building up your understanding of how the underlying secret functionality works. For example if you look at the first few examples in Chapter 1 you will see the following pattern:

defaults write com.apple.finder Function optional flag yes|no
(for non geeks the | stands for OR ..)

If we translate this to English, defaults is clearly talking about the "default way I want this done", com.apple.finder is how to refer to the finder application, and then it finishes with a toggle for turning the function on or off. We see that this formula is consistent as we follow through with the next chapter with

"defaults write com.apple.Dock function toggle"

Part II of this book may be too advanced for beginners, but gives expert users exposure to more of these building blocks to understanding the power of the OS.

Overall, a very well written book with great introductions to topics and well thought out examples to modifying the Mac from beginner to advanced techniques. I highly recommend it to individuals who are interested in becoming more Mac proficient. At a bargain price of ~$17 on Amazon, compared to many technical books that sell at over $30 a piece this is a must have.