Mac OS X Secrets

This encyclopedic 1,044-page book is written for all levels of OS X users. It provides great easy-to-read introductory explanations about each OS X topic covered before launching into more in-depth information. It is well illustrated with hundreds of screen shots and other graphics to help you quickly absorb its wonderfully useful information. Though, containing so much information, you may end up using the book like I did: something to browse for topics of particular interest. Since it covers so much-a virtual encyclopedia-I particularly liked having the very detailed 36-page index to guide me to sections of particular interest. Overall, the book is conveniently organized into 5 parts that carry you progressively into more in-depth OS X topics that will allow you to optimize our use of this incredible system now in its Panther edition. Further, this book also includes great basic information about many other related topics such as digital cameras, networking, and lots more. To follow is a summary of how this thick but user-friendly book is organized and what to expect in its various parts. Part I gives you a good basic understanding of Panther laying out great secrets and techniques to let you use it to maximum efficiency. The sections explaining the Doc and System Preferences are nicely done and I learned a lot. There was much to learn, even about the Apple menu which itself is quite sophisticated. Part II moves to secrets for various applications, including word processing, desktop publishing, graphics, sound and more. It also provides insights into using AppleScript to automate some of your operations. As a beginner to OS X, I may not use this now but it is great to understand what's possible. Part III covers the iLife series of applications: iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and more. Personally, I liked this section the best since I bought by Mac to be able to do movies, and the basic help provided here is great. Part IV covers a variety of topics, from insight into e-mail, instant-messaging, details on Safari and other Web browsers. The chapter on building your own Web page using all available Mac tools was interesting and easy to read. Doing that is a future goal, but it is quite helpful to get a basic understanding of what's involved. Part V, the last, provides even greater in-depth information on peripherals and networking. Here you can find useful tips on printers, digital cameras, OS X fonts, and even the Unix platform in general. It concludes with information on troubleshooting with a final Appendix added on Third-Party Software and Web Resources. All and all, I found this book quite helpful and will be using it in the future whenever I have questions.

Mac Secrets is the book you read, not when you want to learn the ins and outs of OSX, but when you want to have fun and explore individual areas of Panther. This book is great for introducing you to the finer points for which you use your mac. The chapter on graphics provides and excellent introduction to the requirements of sending a file to service provider or just posting an image on the web. The chapter on automation shows the latest implimentations of Applescript and UI Scripting. The chapter even includes a cool script you can use with Sherlock and Safari to look up info on your favorite band. The book focuses not on the drudgery that learning a new os can be, but the features that you excited about it's capabilities. This book is a great jumping off point for beginners, good for intermediate users, and makes for an excellent companion book to any of the "bible' type books on OSX. You can sit with it for hours, or just bust it out when you want to learn a few quick tricks. This book is wonderful, informative, and even, at times, funny. You can't beat the amount of fun info this very affordable book provides.