Mac OS X Tiger: Missing Manual

If you own a Mac with tiger, you need this book. This should come with every mac. Easy to read and follow.

Reviewer: Chuck Thomas, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer Users Group

Having recently switched from PC-only to being a Mac and PC user, I was anxious to see if this 514-page book would ease my transition and continue to be helpful for some time. It far exceeded my expectations and has proven to be invaluable.

The introduction begins with a clear list of the advantages of switching to Mac: `What the Mac OS Gives You' and "What it Takes Away." (The latter section actually lists advantages like the lack of viruses!) In the first chapter entitled, "How the Mac is Different," the authors describe each feature of the Mac OS and, wherever possible, relate that difference to the windows action, command, or location.

The second chapter provides a thorough description of windows and icons, the third acquaints the user with the Dock, Desktop, and Toolbars, while the fourth chapter completes the introductory material with extensive coverage of Programs and Documents, including different OS views, running older programs, and installing new programs.

The rest of the book is devoted to clear and extensive descriptions of four areas: 1) A chapter on each of the software products that ships with OS X 10.4 (Tiger), 2) Hardware on the Mac, including disks, memory, monitors (including dual monitors), printers, modem, etc., 3) Other topics like networking with PCs & other Macs, utilities that ship with Tiger, the firewall, etc., and 4) Installation & Troubleshooting, which is a short chapter due to the reliability of the Mac and the simple procedures for installing software in OS X.

Following these chapters is a very helpful appendix entitled "The Where Did It Go? Dictionary," which describes how each feature of Windows can be accomplished with Tiger. The second appendix describes the procedures for running Windows on a Mac in either dual-boot or parallel mode.

The writing style is informal, clear, and consistently focused on describing the Mac's features from the viewpoint of a Windows user. The book uses a logical format, bold sub-headings, and occasional, gray textboxes containing useful tips. There are frequent, screen shots to illustrate OS X features under discussion, but they are not overdone. Finally, the Index is very complete, thus allowing the reader to use the book as a reference tool. As a result, I found it remarkably enjoyable and easy to skim the book, reading in depth the things that were new, skimming the familiar parts, and saving some topics for a later time--when I'm ready to network, to tackle them.

Being a novice Mac owner, this book was a great tool for me to learn why I chose my iMac over a new PC. There is a wide range of audiences that will love this manual as well, from novice to expert. It answers all the questions you may have and provides explanations when necessary. I recommend David Pogue's work for any Mac manual purchases.

With the flimsy manuals you get with the Mac, I thought it was going to be a much smaller book. Very thorough and informative, even if you thought Mac interface was intuitive. I really like the tip and note sections with all the nice,juicy information about little obscure functions that will save time and give access to places you had to burrow for. Definitely a book to recommend.

This man is great Love my Mac and I couldn't do a fraction of it's potential with out the book.