Press Release
November 3, 2004
"Modding Mac OS X": Unleash Your Inner Mac Geek
Sebastopol, CA--Computer users have been known to take hacksaws to their
machines from time to time: hacksaws, chainsaws, even sledge hammers.
Indeed, some have been known to attempt to effect radical changes by
launching their machines from second-story windows. But these are
generally not Mac users.
Among Mac users, you can find wonderfully original modifications that run
the gamut from intriguing case "mods" to cool interior lighting effects,
but there are also amazing adaptations users can make without touching the
case at all. In Modding Mac OS X: Extreme Makeovers for Your Mac
(O'Reilly, US $24.95), author Erica Sadun shows you how to take control of
your Mac's user interface, unlocking its secrets and bending its will to
your own.
According to Sadun, Modding Mac OS X teaches readers how to take
advantage of the undocumented power that lies beneath the surface of their
operating system. "With Panther and the upcoming Tiger, Mac OS X really
has come into its own," Sadun notes. "Almost everything that you take for
granted as immutable--how an application looks, how it responds to your
requests--is fully customizable in OS X."
Modding Mac OS X starts out with the very basics of configuring your
Mac, beginning with simple tasks like changing Finder views, using an
image from iPhoto's library on your Desktop, and finding and using
screensavers. From there, the book shows you how to:
Find hidden features in your favorite applications
Give your Dock a makeover
Dive inside application bundles to find secret resources
Explore application and system resources
Customize application icons
Hack property list files
Discover undocumented preferences
Alter an application's interface
Script the unscriptable, and more
Each modding example includes detailed step-by-step instructions that even
a novice Mac user can follow, while also providing the necessary detail to
satisfy the experienced hacker. Projects are rated according to Time,
Difficulty, Geekitude, and what Sadun refers to as "Chinese Take-Out
Equivalent."
An advocate for those who want to take control of their Macs, Sadun
carefully explains why each modification works and how the pieces all fit
together. The knowledge that readers gain from tweaking one application
can be easily applied to the next. "There are quite a number of books on
the market now that show you all sorts of hacks for Mac OS X, but never
explain how the authors devised those hacks," remarks Sadun. "It's as if
they, wizard-like, pulled the hacks from thin air. This book teaches
people how to be their own wizards and explains the hows and whys of the
most useful techniques for customizing Mac OS X applications."
And, finally, Sadun advises her readers, "At some point in your life, you
need to relax and 'be' the geek. Let your inner geek express itself and
simply have fun."
Additional Resources:
Modding Mac OS X
Erica Sadun
ISBN 0-596-00709-4, 276 pages, $24.95 US, $36.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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