Mac Secrets, Panther Edition

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 1080 pages
• Published by: Visual July 9, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0764542281
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764542282
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches
• Weighs: 3.4 pounds

Book Description

• Definitive, totally rewritten and updated version of the all-time Mac bestseller!
• Features complete, in-depth coverage of the latest release of OS X, Panther!
• Covers new OS features.
• Covers all of the latest Mac hardware and software technology.
• Packed with thousands of little-known and undocumented techniques for troubleshooting problems and optimizing power and productivity.
• Presents an unbiased and authoritative appraisal of hundreds of Mac products, from the latest CPUs from Apple, to cutting-edge Mac peripherals, to classic and new Mac applications.
• Provides the most definitive and comprehensive information available for every aspect of using the Mac.

Benjamin Levisay is a founding partner of MacDoctors, an Apple and Adobe reseller and service provider, providing highly specialized hardware and networking solutions, along with consulting and training services for the graphic arts community. Levisay is a frequent lecturer and trainer.

Back Cover Copy
The all-new update to the ever-popular Macintosh classic has arrived! Totally rewritten and enhanced to cover the latest release of OS X Panther, Mac OS X Secrets is packed with invaluable advice and secrets on every aspect of Macintosh computing and Mac products. Featuring the latest updates on hardware, software technology, the Internet, applications, and utilities, this book delivers the hottest–and often undocumented–techniques for trouble-shooting problems and optimizing power and productivity.

The companion Web site contains a complete list and links of Mac Secrets software, searchable versions of all chapters from the book, updated information as needed, and more!

Your Insider’s Guide to:

• The dock and its secrets (see Chapter 3)
• Setting up your Mac for multiple users (see Chapter 6)
• iTunes®, iPhoto™, iMovie®, and iDVD™ (see Chapters 13, 14 &15)
• Instant messaging and iChat (see Chapter 19)
• Building a Web site (see Chapter 21)
• Digital cameras and scanners (see Chapter 25)
• Cross-platform networking (see Chapter 30)

Reader Reviews
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. Comment | | (Report this)