Sebastopol, CA--There's no question that the new Mac operating system
is a doozy. With the release of Mac OS X, gone are the former
millstones that Mac users had learned to bear stoically: dealing with
extension conflicts, allocating memory to applications through the "Get
Info" window, and periodically rebuilding the desktop to eliminate the
ghosts of applications long-since discarded. Along with these
improvements comes a stunning new three-dimensional desktop, a
crash-proof Unix core, and what is purported to be the most modern and
advanced operating system today. However, many Mac users are dismayed
to find that although Mac OS X offers dozens of new features, a manual
isn't among them. Once again, best-selling author David Pogue comes to
the rescue with Mac OS X: The Missing Manual (Pogue Press/O'Reilly, US $24.95)--the book that should have been in the box.
"If you're one of the 25 million people who've used a Macintosh before,
Mac OS X may come as a bit of a shock," says Pogue. "Hundreds of
features you thought you knew have been removed, replaced, or
relocated. Unfortunately, Mac OS X comes with little more than a
pamphlet in the way of printed instructions. To find your way around,
you're expected to use Apple's online help system."
Pogue notes that the purpose of his book is to serve as the manual that
should have accompanied Mac OS X. As for the numerous differences
between this new operating system and the old Mac OS, Pogue explains
that Mac OS X is not, in fact, the former Mac OS at all. It's a
completely new operating system, a hybrid of Unix with an attractive
Apple-designed front end. Says Pogue, "The result is an operating
system that provides a liberating sense of freedom and stability--but
one that, for existing Mac fans, requires a good deal of learning, and
forgetting."
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual offers the warm, witty, jargon-free
writing that the Missing Manual Series is known for, with ample
coverage of basics for the novice and enough depth for the power user.
The book thoroughly covers Mac OS X version 10.1, including
understanding its Unix-like folder structure, setting up an office
network, capitalizing on its rich Internet features, and even hacking
the real power of the Unix underbelly by summoning the command-line
interface. Mac OS X: The Missing Manual also explains each of the
control panels and bonus programs that comes with Mac OS X, including
iTunes, Mail, Sherlock, and Apache, the built-in web server.
For Mac users who have become accustomed to the older Mac OS, Appendix
A, the "Where'd It Go?" dictionary, offers an alphabetical listing of
every feature that was once in Mac OS 9, with an explanation of what
became of it in Mac OS X. Through the entire book, Pogue reveals the
refreshing humor, technical insight, and crystal-clear, plain-English
prose that made number one bestsellers out of his other books in the
Missing Manual Series, including Mac OS 9, Windows Me, and iMovie 2.
Online Resources:
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual
By David Pogue
December 2001
ISBN 0-596-00082-0, 583 pages, $24.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
