Mastering Mac OS X, Third Edition
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Editorial Reviews:
Covers OS X v.10.3, Panther!
On the Prowl for In-Depth, Step-by-Step, Mac OS X Coverage? Your Search Is Over
Whether you're new to the Mac, upgrading from a previous Mac OS version, or converting from Windows or Unix, Mastering Mac OS X, Third Edition is your one-stop resource for Apple's powerhouse operating system. Filled with detailed explanations, step-by-step instructions, and thorough examples for newbies and old-timers alike, this book answers all your questions and shows you how to take advantage of every aspect of Mac OS X. Expert authors Stauffer and McElhearn divulge their Mac OS X troubleshooting and problem-solving know-how. Over 900 pages of coverage includes:
- Personalizing Mac OS X: Dock, Desktop, and Finder
- Using the latest features including iChat AV, FontBook, FileVault and Exposé
- Encrypting data, storing passwords, and using built-in applications
- Connecting to, troubleshooting, and securing your Internet connection
- Using, automating, and securing e-mail from viruses
- Using QuickTime 6, QuickTime Pro, and iMovie to play, edit, and export movie files
- Burning audio and data CDs and playing MP3s, Internet radio, and DVD movies
- Importing, exporting, and editing digital images using iPhoto
- Building a secure network and sharing files locally and over the Internet
- Using Windows and Unix documents, networking protocols, and applications
- Working with Terminal and Darwin command lines and Darwin applications
- Backing up and recovering data, managing your disks and peripherals
- Configuring and tweaking Apache, FTP serving, PHP, and MySQL
- Quickly diagnosing and solving common system-level problems
- Troubleshooting Classic and native applications
If you like "Mastering Mac OS X, Third Edition, you might also like ...
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 | Mac Secrets, Panther Edition |
 | 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques |
 | Mac OS X for Dummies |
 | Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible, Third Edition |
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is a big book...
Comment: ... I didn't really read it... but I referenced it a couple times and found it useful!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and thorough
Comment: I have to confess that I approached the nearly 900 pages of Todd and Kirk's book with a feeling of 'Oh no, not another Mac operating system book - I'll leave that until I have time for it... maybe when I retire'. My shelves contain many such books, dating back to MacOS 7. Most are unthumbed.
However, I was wrong: this book stands out by its thoroughness, and the fact that, while thoughtfully catering for OS 8/9 migrants, it also goes well beyond the basics of OS X. Now that MacOS has 'come of age' with the Panther release, this book is appropriate.
'Mastering Mac OS X' covers just about everything you could need to know about OS X and its bundled applications, with welcome mentions of shareware and commercial software where this appropriate. It starts gently for those unfamiliar with OS X, but - and this is where it differs from a lot of its competition - goes well beyond into heavyweight stuff like AppleScript, X Windows, Darwin, using OS X as a web and ftp server, the command line, shell scripts, and even 'secret' features such as Inkwell.
I found it hard to criticise anything about this book. There are one or two omissions: AppleScript Studio is mentioned only in passing, and iDVD not at all - but to be fair, AppleScript Studio is the subject of a book in its own right. There are also places where the extra warning or two might not be inappropriate, such as when wildcards are introduced immediately after the 'rm' command, but my only main gripe is nothing to do with the authors at all - I found the italicized paragraphs a bit hard on the eyes.
The sections on AppleScript, networking, security and troubleshooting are probably worth the price of the book alone. If you only buy one OS X book, this should be a strong candidate. Recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This suited my specific needs
Comment: I didn't want to buy a book where a significant portion is devoted to introductory comments for beginners. When I bought David Pogue's Jaguar Edition of the OSX Missing Manual, I was new to OSX and it suited my needs perfectly (Pogue is a great writer). However, I've moved on a bit and Pogue's Panther Edition covers too much of the same ground for me.
Stauffer and McElhearn's book gets straight to the point and gives me enough details for the tips to be useful. I found the sections on networking especially useful, and liked how many of my questions were anticipated by the authors. I also found the book well-organized and getting to the sections I needed wasn't a problem. If you're an intermediate-to-advanced user, this is probably for you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent, comprehensive reference, perfectly written
Comment: Todd Stauffer has done it again -- this version of his book doesn't disappoint. I bought David Pogue's book for the Jaguar edition and couldn't figure out what the fuss was about it. Pogue's book pales in comparison when it comes to meat and detail, Mastering Mac OS X covers everything I wanted and needed. Sure, Pogue's book is smaller and lighter and so maybe more convenient in that sense, but Stauffer's book really helps you learn Mac OS X inside and out.
A lot of books on Mac OS X seem rushed, but not this one. Stauffer probably brought on Kirk McElhearn to help get this book out on time and it shows in quality and quantity. Good work, guys! I wish there were more authors like Stauffer and McElhearn.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good guide to OS X for intermediate users
Comment: I've seen a fair number of books for OS X and they range in target audience from the raw beginner such as Mac OS X for Dummies and Robin William's Mac OS X Book through to those for technical readers such as Mac OS X In A Nutshell (IAN).
Mastering Mac OS X falls firmly in the middle. Unlike IAN it spends a fair amount of time on the GUI and a major section is devoted to QuickTime and the iApps. Unlike Robin William's volume it covers high end topics such as AppleScript and the terminal and has a good section on troubleshooting. One thing lacking that I applaud is that it does not have IAN's large chapter summing up Unix commands.
The Good
The book is well structured, divided into 7 sections, 5 of increasing complexity, 'The Mac OS X Basics', 'On The Internet', 'Multimedia: Images Sound, Video', 'Networking, Coonectivity and Portables' and 'Advanced Mac OS X topics' - which covers AppleScript, the Terminal, and various servers including QuickTime, Samba and Sendmail. These are followed by a hardware and troubleshooting section and finally the appendices. The index is good and it has the by now traditional two level table of contents, the first listing just the chapter heads and the second listing all the sub sections as well.
Given that structure, the book touches all the bases and covers all the required topics well.
The writing is not bad, I think a stronger hand with the editing would have done wonders as it tends to the wordy.
The Bad
Once again a certain amount of the early stuff is either below the needs of the target audience or not really required. Oh, and Sybex do have a page for the book...!OpenDocument which includes a Table of Contents, sample chapter, index and errata but get a load of that URL and the author has a web page for the book but he hasn't touched it in over a year, since before this second edition was published.
Conclusion
It should be said that among all the books in this genre none are badly written, or badly structured. Personally I don't like the style of the 'Dummies' books and so I put it at the bottom of my list but others may not have the same feeling. That said, how do you choose among them? The choice boils down to two things, how close you are to the target audience for a particular book and how well it addresses the target audience. Mastering Mac OS X is targeted at "intermediate beginners (those who have some experience with a graphical operating system) and solidly intermediate to advanced users" according to the Introduction. I think that it covers the needs of the first group well but will probably fall short if you are already an "advanced user." For these people I'd recommend Mac OS X In A Nutshell. If you are a total newbie, then I'd recommend Robin William's Mac OS X Book.
Technical Details
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 005.4465
EAN: 9780782142839
ISBN: 0782142834
Label: Sybex
Manufacturer: Sybex
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 912
Publication Date: 2003-10-24
Publisher: Sybex
Studio: Sybex
