Product Description

Have you ever wondered exactly how those beautiful lime or tangerine or blueberry iMacs work? Or how the operating system works on your iBook? Old and new generations of Macintosh users alike can find the answers in How Macs Work, Millennium Edition. Topics include: how different types of memory function, how data is stored, how FireWire transfers huge amounts of real-time digital data from consumer electronics devices like video camcorders into your Mac, increasing Mac speed and maximizing potential, how AirPort provides Internet access and creates networks on Macs without wires, and how Mac¿s new digital video editing technology can turn a VHS tape into polished digital video. The book will also explain how the Mac operating system works, including OS X ("OS Ten") the completely new implementation of the Macintosh operating system which features state-of-the-art technology throughout and an entirely new user interface called "Aqua."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108125 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Back Cover

Have you ever wondered exactly how those beautiful lime or tangerine or blueberry iMacs work? Or how the operating system works on your iBook? Old and new generations of Macintosh users alike can find the answers in How Macs Work, Millennium Edition. Topics include: how different types of memory function, how data is stored, how FireWire transfers huge amounts of real-time digital data from consumer electronics devices like video camcorders into your Mac, increasing Mac speed and maximizing potential, how AirPort provides Internet access and creates networks on Macs without wires, and how Mac¿s new digital video editing technology can turn a VHS tape into polished digital video. The book will also explain how the Mac operating system works, including OS X ("OS Ten") the completely new implementation of the Macintosh operating system which features state-of-the-art technology throughout and an entirely new user interface called "Aqua."

About the Author

John Rizzo, co-author or How Macs Work, Bestseller Edition, is a contributing editor for MacUser, a frequent contributor to Computer Currents, and the author of MacUser Guide to Connectivity. K. Daniel Clark, co-author of How Macs Work, Bestseller Edition, is a freelance informational-graphics designer for international print, CD-ROM, and online publishers. Both Rizzo and Clark live in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Cartoons lift the lid on the modern Mac!
This book aim to educate us all on what happens inside the Mac, both the hardware and the software. If this doesn't interest you, then this book isn't for you. If you're looking for "handy hints" and "troubleshooting" the information isn't enough for this book to be much use.If on the other hand you don't know what happens inside your Mac and you'd like to, then this book is for you. Or if you need to explain how Mac works to others this book is very helpful.There are hints and tips in the book to be sure, but it really focuses on explaining how it all works - not addressing problems. The book is filled with diagrams and cartoons but not too much text, making it ideal for younger readers. The topics covered are complex though so don't get the idea this is a child's book. The pictures explain the topics very well, and the text is well written and quite easy to understand. This is aimed at someone who knows nothing about how computers work (but it does assume you can use one). This seems to work well, most people seem to understand most of it on first reading (impressive considering what is being covered). All the current hardware is covered (iBook, iMac, PowerMac G4, G3 PowerBook) except the G4 Cube. The pictures are simple and well drawn, giving a good idea as to what's going on. All manner of hardware is in there; Displays, Disk drives, mice (including the new ProMouse).Mac OS is discussed, both Mac OS 9 and the new Mac OS X. This information covers all the most interesting aspects, and not in great detail. You do learn some useful stuff, but Mac OS is a big topic for a small book like this. The Mac OS X coverage is good considering Mac OS X is still a Beta product. The Mac OS X parts of the book are perhaps the most interesting, and they really lift the whole book.The book also covers printing and publishing, web publishing and the Internet from a Mac perspective. These sections are quite useful even for non-Mac types.This book doesn't teach much of anything, but it's a pretty good introduction to pretty much anything about the Mac. It's also great fun. If you want to understand more about your Mac or if you teach others new to computers in general and Mac in particular this is a very good book.You will see inside disk drives, how the hard disk is formatted, how networks work, who images get drawn on the screen (even how Aqua does it!). This would be an ideal book for a Mac user's coffee table. I think most Mac users will like this book - an ideal gift perhaps? If you are getting a Mac for a child to teach them about computers, slip this book in too.In short; a nice book, not essential but lots and lots of fun. If you are an educator you'll love this book as there is a lot of material here all well presented.