Mac OS X in a Nutshell
A Desktop Quick Reference
By Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek, Chris Stone
January 2003
Pages: 826
Series: In a Nutshell
ISBN 10: 0-596-00370-6 |
ISBN 13: 9780596003708
(4) (Average of 4 Customer Reviews)
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Mac OS X in a Nutshell offers a thorough treatment of Mac OS X version 10.2, from its BSD Unix foundation to Aqua, the new user interface. The book's "Unix Command Reference" is the most complete and thorough coverage of Mac OS X Unix commands you can find anywhere. Each command and option in this section has been painstakingly tested and checked against Jaguar. Serious users who want more from their system will find everything they need to know systematically documented in this book.
Full Description
- Filesystem overview
- Running Java applications
- System and Network Administration
- Directory Services and NetInfo
- Scripting on Mac OS X
- Using CVS
- Unix Command Reference
- Installing and Running X Windows and BSD Unix applications
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Book details
First Edition: January 2003
Series:
In a Nutshell
ISBN: 0-596-00370-6
Pages: 826
Average Customer Reviews: (4) (Based on 4 Reviews)
Featured customer reviews
Mac OS X in a Nutshell Review, April 07 2003
While I have not read this book extensively I have mixed feelings about it. I like the command reference (and neither want nor need another manual on Perl or AWK (as O'Reilly publishes books on that, I don't see a need) but found a couple of things a bit glossed over.
Check out the chapter on setting up users and groups outside of the Preference pane for it. The amount of info on that subject (something I would like more info on) is sketchy at best. Though I dont have the book in front of me, it boils down to: "netinfo is the way you do it." (sigh)
Also while the DAMP chapter (available as a download) is a nice start. It is nowhere near sufficient for what I want to do:
How about more on Sendmail, setting up a webmail interface on your web server would be nice. And brfore someone mentions Squirrelmail. I have tried it and failed. Maybe I am a doofus, but I think not...
How about setting up FTP (not anon.) so only specific users have access to a shared folder. No I am not setting up a Warez server. I keep personal (work) files there for easy access on the road and post the occaisional picture or movie for family and friends and would love to set up everyone with their own account in a shared directory.
So while I thought the book was good I found some of the subject matter curiously lacking in subject depth. However I would still recommend this book. It has come in quite handy as a reference for basic UNIX and system admin tasks.
Mac OS X in a Nutshell Review, February 14 2003
I found OS X in a nutshell a pretty good reference. If you were an early adopter of OS X, you've either figuered out most of the information in the first half of the book using survival instincts, or you don't care about the less-than-obvious OS X panels, apps and utilities.
I have to compliment the writing team for covering a gazillion different mac and unix topics in one volume. That being said, some of the topics are a little thin to apply to practical use without some additional information.
I really liked the DAMP chapter. I never had the opportunity to lauch a web server before, but I had Apache up and running in 5 minutes, exactly as documented!
A pretty good all-in-one refernece for those of us who don't touch unix every day, or never earned a sysadmin merit badge. By the time this book wears out, we'll all be using OS XV.
Mac OS X in a Nutshell Review, February 08 2003
This could easily be a great book, but the manual pages have a two huge flaws:
1) there is no man page for Perl! How can O'Reilly, the publisher of all things Perl, leave out a basic man page for Perl on the highest volume Perl shipping platform ever in history, Mac OS X? This is unbelievable.
2) there is the worst man page for Awk ever given. It lists one or two options. It should at least be Brian Kernighan's own page which is a nice summary of the language. A full man page is given for the rarely used bc (binary calculator) -- which is nice don't get me wrong -- but why give a bc page with great detail and NOT do the same for the most useful utility in the system (awk), or the most used utility (perl).
The first half of the book is interesting, but should be in the "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" book. I'd like to see Awk and Perl treated with some dignity and respect and put with all of the man pages alone in a separate volume, tiny print, thin Bible paper, in a ultra-cool pocket reference that would really fit in a standard shirt pocket.
Also, the authors do not know Macintosh history very well. They say that AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) was introduced in Mac OS 8.5. Try Mac OS 6! There are quite a few other technical flaws, and a few very bad grammatical errors due to words being caught by spell checkers, but not by decent proof readers.
My advice? Wait for a 2nd edition that fixes these fundamental flaws.
Mac OS X in a Nutshell Review, February 06 2003
This book is very good. It replaces my previous #1 macintosh book, Mac OS X Unleashed, because of its detail, conciseness and that it is the most up-to-date Mac OS X book. The sections covering the BSD Unix / NextStep underpinnings of Mac OS X are excellent. My only criticism is that the book seems to be written for the client version and is missing the Mac OS Server specific commands, etc. An example of this is: diskspacemonior or IP failover. It is very well writtten. Amazon has this book for appx. $10 off the cover price! Check it out.
Media reviews
"You will find yourself pulling this book out frequently. I reach for this book before all others I have on OS X, so I keep it close by."
--Stephen Henry, North Coast Mac Users Group, February 2004
http://www.ncmug.org/newsletter/2004/february.html
"If you can't trust a Mac OS X book written by a guy named McIntosh, who ya gonna trust? Bill Gates? There are lots of cutesy-poo books about Mac OS X and all of them are big, including 'Mac OS X in a Nutshell'...If you want the straight scoop on what's up with Mac OS X, this is the place to find it."
--Joe Farace, Shutterbug, December 2003
"In my opinion, it is a great book to add to any Mac user's library. It's a definite two thumbs up."
--Chris Henderson, Provo Linux Users Group, September 2003
http://brainshed.com/reviews/ora_macosx_nutshell.html
"This is the book you'll want to consult when you already understand the basics of what you need to do, but cannot quite recall the specifics. It also provides a handy way to review what you know, to make sure you haven't missed anything major. And, lest you worry that 'terse' equates to less information--do not fear. At 800 pages, this book has plenty of 'thud factor.'"
--Vicki Brown, "MacTech," September 2003
"O'Reilly's 'OS X in a Nutshell' is an indispensable manual for anyone who needs to know the OS inside and out...Even though it touches on nearly all aspects of Mac OS X, it hones in on many of the areas where you'll probably be looking for the most help...It is full of features and tricks that are far from obvious and a number of which we haven't found anwhere else, In either case, this is one book you'll want to keep within arm's reach."
--Ric Getter, "MacDirectory," Fall 2003
"O'Reilly's 'Nutshell' series is a benchmark in desktop quick (and complete) references. If you have not seen any of these titles, have a browse next time you are in a bookshop...This important technical reference is an essentail resource for developers and anyone setting up a Mac OS X server and is a valuable source of information for those users who want to know more about technical aspects of OS X. Very well written and should not overwhelm readers without a technical background. A must for libraries with Mac OS X holdings."
--Major Keary, "AUSOM News," July 2003
"This could be a 'holy book' for the die-hard Apple Macintosh OS X user...From the cute-looking OS shell interface right down to the BSD underpinnings this book offers something for everybody, providing a good reference for the new Mac user and old hand alike."
--Darren Ingram, "M2 Best Books," June 2003
"Bottom line: Does the book provide the information and tools that a power user would want? Yes. Do I recommend 'Mac OS X In A Nutshell?' Yes. If you are a power user or wish to be, then this book is for you."
--Bobby Zamarron, Alaskan Apple Users Group, July 2003
http://www.akappleug.org/rev/94.html
"This book by Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek and Chris Stone is essential to all Mac OS X users. 5 stars."
--"Computer Shopper," July 2003
"This is an important technical reference that is an essential resource for developers and anyone setting up a Mac OS X server, and is a valuable reference for those users who want to know more about technical aspects of os x. Very well written and should not overwhelm readers who do not have a formal technical background."
--Major Keary, Book News, 2003 No. 4
"..if you're interested in getting into the Unix core of OSX and learning to exploit the power of the command line, or if you're a system administrator or software developer, this book should prove to be an invaluable resource and reference in O'Reilly's thoroughgoing tradition."--Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, March 2003
