46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you really want to understand Pages, this is good., October 24, 2005
This review is from: iWork '05: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
Review iWork '05: The Missing Manual
With iWork, we have a case where the manual isn't actually missing. When I got my copy of iWork I was pleasantly surprised that Apple had actually included a real honest-to-goodness printed manual that was more than a quick start guide.
So why pick up a "missing manual"? That depends. If you are familiar with similar applications to the two in the package, you probably will get by fine with the real manual. A Powerpoint pro will have no trouble using Keynote, needing, at most, occasional references to either the online help menu or the manual.
Pages proves a little more complicated. It's part word processor and part desktop publishing program.(DTP) The word processor functions much like ones we're familiar with, sort of a cross between Word and Appleworks both in features and design. The Inspector will be quite recognizable to anyone who has used a recent version of Word. The menu items are pretty much what we've come to expect.
It's the DTP features in Pages that make the Missing Manual worth getting. Pages is enough different from any other application that the bare-facts Apple manual starts to lose its allure as my reference of choice. The included manual, like most manuals is terse. Just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts.
I did knock out a quick newsletter the first afternoon after getting iWork, but it took frequent referrals to the manual and help menu. I also have had quite a bit of experience with Pagemaker and some with Quark and InDesign. Without that background, I think I would have had more trouble and possibly become quite frustrated, as have several people who have described their first experiences with Pages to me. I knew enough to make sense of the manual and what to look for. And I realized that Pages is a fairly complex program that does need a manual. I've created several Keynote presentations with no problem. My Powerpoint background is sufficient to make Keynote easy to use.
iWork '05: The Missing Manual would have made my first experiences much smoother. It is a much more comfortable introduction the Pages. Where the Apple manual gives, bare-bones instructions, Elferdink takes the time to actually explain both how-to but also why-to, offering a context for the instructions. His style is readable and conversational, in keeping with the rest of the series.
I've also found that having a more approachable text encourages me to browse, which I never did with Apple's manual. Of course there is a lot to the program that I don't know and didn't even know to look up. As I work through iWork, I'm sure to find answers to questions I don't even know to ask.
The book is not perfect. It either doesn't mention or glosses over some of Pages shortcomings, like the flaky nature of Flash export and the inability to re-order pages in Pages. Still it's a credible manual, reasonably well indexed and written in plain, understandable English. Recommended.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
iWork'05: The Missing Manual, January 9, 2006
This review is from: iWork '05: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
The iWorks'05 Missing Manual is truly a missing manual for Apple Computer's word processor/page-layout software and presentation software Keynote 2. If you are in a hurry to use either Pages or Keynote 2 or a very visual learner, I would recommend looking into a different manual. In the 379 pages, this book has a lot of detail on the two programs which is truly a manual. You can easy skip to the sections you need and do not have to read the entire book to use it. The author has chapters in both Pages and Keynote 2 and are very basic. In the beginning of some of the chapter he lets the reader know you can skip the chapter if you are experienced user. At the end of the book the author gives you resources to help you go beyond the book for additional help and ideas for using Pages and Keynote 2.
Pages
The book covers the basics of word-processing in case your are new to computers and word processing. The book then covers the layout features to Pages. The author gives you advice on different fonts and layouts. He covers why you would use certain fonts in the headers and body of the text. In addition the book covers creating tables, charts and working with objects. Objects include text, pictures and graphic in your document and how to place them in the document.
The author also covers how to use iTunes, iMove in Pages and why you might not want to use Pages to add in iTunes and iMove in to your document. He recommends using Keynote 2 instead. The book also covers exporting Pages to other word processors such as Microsoft Word and publishing the document to a web. The author also gives you example of what will happen if you export to various programs from Pages.
Keynote 2
The book covers the basics of how to develop and give a presentation in case you have forgotten or have never given a presentation before.
The author also spends some time on using Keynote 2 with laptops. He covers the reason why you might want to consider purchasing the PowerBook over an iBook. For instance, iBooks can only perform video mirroring which shows the same image on the screen as the external monitor and PowerBooks can be used in the dual-display mode which can show a different image than the PowerBook's screen. Keynote 2 can display to your audience the normal view of your slides on the external display and on your PowerBook you can show the current slide and the next slide, a speaker's notes, a clock, and time.
The book also goes in to using iTunes, iPhoto, and iMove with Keynote 2. They all integrate nicely together. The author also covers exporting Keynote 2 files to other formats. He discusses exporting to Microsoft PowerPoint, into a PDF, and into QuickTime in case the machine you are using does not have Keynote 2. The book also discussed how to publish a Keynote 2 presentation on a website.
I would recommend this book as a manual for Pages and Keynote 2. If you want use the program right way I would look for another manual if you are not willing to put some time in to the necessary reading.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Reilly does it best., November 6, 2005
This review is from: iWork '05: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
The mini manuals out of the box were ok, but this book is great. I was able to finish a project that was "stuck". The beauty of the book is that it explains terms and ideas without being a "beginners" book. A lot of detailed ideas to use and apply to your projects or just how to use the program more powerfully. iWork is a great little program (less than 80 dollars) that is made even better with this book.
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