Macworld Mac Secrets
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Editorial Reviews:
Author David Pogue emphasizes that MacWorld Mac Secrets is not for beginners or power users, but for "everybody in the middle." Instead of detailing how to do obscure tasks that only a few will want to know, Pogue divulges secrets and shortcuts that will help and intrigue the everyday Mac user.
You won't find any information on Systems 7 and 7.1 in the fifth edition of this guide; you'll have to refer back to the fourth edition for that information. However, this book does feature extensive coverage of OS 8.5 (and new secrets for OS 8 and 8.1), the iMac, digital cameras, AppleScript, and other updated topics. The included CD-ROM contains the entire printed version of the book in a searchable format, plus hundreds of dollars worth of commercial software--such as MacLinkPlus, OneClick, and ColorIt--for no extra cost.
This guide begins by identifying what all the System software that came with your Mac does and tells you what you need to keep and what you can delete. The next section covers the inner workings of the Mac and provides a model-by-model outline of what the older Macs are now worth and how they can be upgraded for maximum performance. The third section will probably be the most helpful to the majority of users: it shares all of the shortcuts and secrets within common Mac applications. A new section of this volume covers Internet-related issues such as modems, browsers, and e-mail. MacWorld Mac Secrets closes with definitions of all the possible attachments for your Mac and instructions on how to install them. An appendix lists all of the software on the companion CD-ROM and explains what it does. This serves as a fine reference book for the dedicated Mac user. --Cristina Vaamonde
If you like "Macworld Mac Secrets, you might also like ...
 | Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible, Third Edition |
 | Upgrading and Troubleshooting Your Mac(R): MacOS X Edition |
 | Mac Secrets, Panther Edition |
 | Mac OS 9 for Dummies |
 | Macs For Dummies, Eighth Edition |
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: MacWorld MacSecrets 6th edition
Comment: The book is great as far as it goes. It has only general information on Mac OS X. The authors promise additional "unlimited edition" chapters; however, the website where these chapters are supposed to be available no longer exists. Hungry Minds publisher was bought by Wiley and Sons, but the website was not acquired by them.
For OS 9 and previous systems the book can't be beat.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The best in the Mac community, but outdated now.
Comment: This book, like almost everything else by the insanely great David Pogue, is an extremely handy Macintosh book. As someone who does some part-time Mac repair and support, it's handy to have on hand. Not only does it go over the important things you'll need to know, it's also chock full of easter eggs and other fun hints.
However, the last major edition release was in 2001, and this book has become extremely outdated now that Mac OS X is the primary Mac OS. If you're looking for a good book on your Mac OS X computer, I'd recommend "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual" by the same author. "Mac OS X Hints", edited by David Pogue, is also a good book.
If you're a Mac fan, this book is still perfect for you. But if you're an OS X user who couldn't care less about OS 8 & 9, older Macs, or tips for old software, then buy some of the author's newer titles.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I need basic info, not cute tricks
Comment: I attribute the wide acceptance of these Mac books to the fact that thoroughgoing software manuals are apparently not provided by manufacturers anymore. I bought the 5th edition of this series when I acquired an iBook a couple of years ago. I hoped to learn more about deploying the basic capabilities of my OS 9.1 software than the little help screens provide. In the two years I've had the book, I've found almost nothing I needed to know to solve a real problem. The book seems to try to deal with several versions of Mac software and is actually a grab bag of "look at this cute trick" features, which may not even be achievable by my particular version of the OS. It may be that I bought the wrong book, but it seemed the most likely one on the shelf.
A case in point occurred when I recently began to suspect that the MACRO function could be combined with an IF function in a spreadsheet to do some format or color changes on the fly. However, this book offers precious little about macros, let alone other spreadsheet functions or the technique for combining them, if indeed that is possible, as it is in other spreadsheeting software. Perhaps this sort of information is not considered a "secret" and thus not appropriate for this book. Unhappily, I know of no other resource for it, so it remains a secret to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The REAL Macintosh Bible
Comment: Are you looking for the ultimate guide to all things Macintosh? Then look no further! This is definitely THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN about Macintosh computing. Why?
First, there is the wonderful, easy to read writing style of David Pogue (who wrote the hilarious and amazingly informative Desktop Critic Column for Macworld for years) combined with the technical know-how of Joseph Schoor (who wrote the excellent Secrets Column for the same magazine). When you put two computing giants like them on a project like this, you know you're in for something special.
Then, there is the actual content of the book. Complete is too insufficient a word. All-encompassing is more like it. This book covers every version of the Macintosh Operating System, Every Macintosh, and every major program ever made for Macintosh Computers.
But what kind of information is covered exactly? The good kind. In addition to command references, shortcuts, time-savers, and the like, you will find plenty of weird, funny, or just plain cool secrets.
This book should be required reading for Computer Science 101. It covers the basics of pretty much all things computing, from internet and digital video to page-layout and word-processing. You just might learn how to do something completely new that you have never tried before.
To summarize: This book is the best available on Mac Secrets, and a definite must have for any serious Macintosh User. It has saved my life numerous times in the past because excellent info it has on what to do when things go wrong. And you know what, this book is a lot of fun to read.
Wait...I forgot to mention the cool cd included full of software programs! Well, it's a nice extra, and yet ANOTHER reason to buy the book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Good Mac Book
Comment: I like this book because of history- every Mac made, every Mac OS made, etc. I also like the comprehensive lists about every system folder, etc. I also like the Unlimited Edition online content. This book is worth your or someone else's money. (Use AOL? Hate pop-up ads? There's a secret on how to trash the pop-up ads.) (Like easter eggs? This book's got a ton of em')
Technical Details
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 004.165
EAN: 9780764540400
ISBN: 0764540408
Label: Wiley Publishing
Manufacturer: Wiley Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 1291
Publication Date: 1999-01-15
Publisher: Wiley Publishing
Studio: Wiley Publishing
