Product Description

You can set your watch to it: As soon as Apple comes out with another version of Mac OS X, David Pogue hits the streets with another meticulous Missing Manual to cover it with a wealth of detail. The new Mac OS X 10.4, better known as Tiger, is faster than its predecessors, but nothing's too fast for Pogue and "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual". There are many reasons why this is the most popular computer book of all time. With its hallmark objectivity, the Tiger Edition thoroughly explores the latest features to grace the Mac OS. Which ones work well and which do not? What should you look for? This book tackles Spotlight, an enhanced search feature that helps you find anything on your computer; iChat AV for videoconferencing; Automator for automating repetitive, manual or batch tasks; and the hundreds of smaller tweaks and changes, good and bad, that Apple's marketing never bothers to mention. "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition" is the authoritative book that's ideal for every user, including people coming to the Mac for the first time. Our guide offers an ideal introduction that demystifies the Dock, the unfamiliar Mac OS X folder structure, and the entirely new Mail application. There are also mini-manuals on iLife applications such as iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto, those much-heralded digital media programs, and a tutorial for Safari, Mac's own web browser. And plenty more: learn to configure Mac OS X using the System Preferences application, keep your Mac secure with FileVault, and learn about Tiger's enhanced Firewall capabilities. If you're so inclined, this Missing Manual also offers an easy introduction to the Terminal application for issuing basic Unix commands. There's something new on practically every page, and David Pogue brings his celebrated wit and expertise to every one of them. Mac's brought a new cat to town and we have a great new way to tame it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180424 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 847 pages

From the Publisher
As soon as Apple comes out with another version of Mac OS X, David Pogue hits the streets with another impeccable Missing Manual to cover it. This new edition explores the latest features in Mac OS X Tiger, such as Spotlight, iChat AV and Automator. Ideal for every user, this guide has something new on every page, along with David Pogue's celebrated wit and expertise.

About the Author
David Pogue, Yale '85, is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. With nearly 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how-to authors, having written or co-written seven books in the "for Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music), along with several computer-humor books and a technothriller, "Hard Drive" (a New York Times "notable book of the year"). Pogue is also the creator and primary author of the Missing Manual series of complete, funny computer books, a joint venture with O'Reilly & Associates. Titles in the series include Mac OS X, Windows XP, iPod, Microsoft Office, iPhoto, Dreamweaver, iMovie 2, and many others. His Web page is www.davidpogue.com, and his email address is david@pogueman.com.

Customer Reviews

Ideal desktop companion. Found it essential.
I had been a Windows/Linux user for several years before I purchased a Mac PowerBook in Oct 2005. But I didn't know a thing about Mac. Mac OS X is a very user-friendly OS and you can go about your business almost instinctively, but there are still things you can't work out without a little help from a book like this.

What keys do you need to force-quit a program if it freezes and no amount of clicking produces a response? (It's not Ctrl + Alt + Dlt for sure.) How do you export a webpage or a document in PDF? How do you use sticky notes on Desktop or Dashboard? You may be able to Google for answers but it can be time-consuming. All I needed to do for answers was to look up the excellent index and go to relevant pages, where I invariably found what I was looking for. The author has anticipated a lot of questions many users might ask.

The book is designed beautifully. It's full of useful information and tips yet the pages are not cluttered. Screenshots provided are identical to what I get on my screen, which I know sounds daft but is actually quite reassuring, because I can be sure I'm doing the right thing.

If you are relatively new to Mac OS X or to 10.4 Tiger in particular, I think you will discover a lot of nice features which you would not otherwise be able to find yourself. All in all, definitely five stars for me.

Extremely helpful reference
After a lifetime of being a PC-only user, I recently bought an Intel Mac. Approaching the transition with a certain amount of trepidation, I figured I should invest in a book on my new OS and after browsing a bunch of titles, picked on this one. And I have to say I haven't regretted it at all - I've learnt so much just browsing through it. The writing style is easy to read and gently humorous, although not at the expense of information - just enough to keep you from getting bored with the vast quantities of information presented. It's an enjoyable book to just dip into at random, the index is helpful and the different types of information - main text, power user tips, background info, etc. are well laid out on the page.

Pogue's approach to his subject is excellent for Windows-users like me - he is clearly aware that his readership consists of completely different sectors - Windows users, OS 9 users and other Mac people - and I haven't really come across anything in the book yet where an assumption was made that you already knew something (unless it was covered elsewhere in the book, and often a cross-reference is included). I also didn't feel that the author was "talking down" to me either. A nice bonus is the "Where did it go?" appendices - one for Mac OS 9 and one for Windows, which pinpoints where to find certain features of the previous operating system in this one. A section has also been included on the new Intel Macs and running Windows under Bootcamp (If your copy seems to be missing this, the update is available as a download from the book's website at http://www.missingmanuals.com/ )

All in all, enjoyable, interesting, informative reading - I would recommend this certainly to anyone making the switch from Windows to Mac, and probably to anyone else too.

Surely the best
Apple, the user-friendly computer, becomes more many-splendoured as the years pass. But trust David Pogue to keep up with them. Skip the books which offer a simple intro to the Tiger system as you will soon find a complexity that they hadn't envisaged you'd encounter.

Pogue wrote my first Mac guide (to the iMac) and has amply repaid my trust in buying this volume. What does he not deal with? I don't know! To give you an example - I had looked in vain in another massive Tiger handbook for details of viewing DVDs from another region; I'd even e-mailed the author for the missing info, only to have my question ignored. Pogue has a detailed and incredibly helpful answer - see page 426

This book is superb; it will help you to enjoy your Tiger full of confidence that the creature is tameable and very good company. Whether you are a Mac newcomer or a cautious migrant from OS 9 - or earlier!- you will be delighted that you chose the Missing Manual; it puts YOU in charge. Cheap at the price.