The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Mac Books - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
Mac OS X Panther Visual Quickstart Guide
Mac OS X Panther Visual Quickstart Guide is not a hand-holding, jolly introduction for novices. It is a straight how-to text that makes excellent use of screen shots rather than lengthy explanations. If you have never used a computer before, and your first contact is with a Mac running OS X, then you probably need something more simple than this to get started. If you have some computer experience this title is likely to be your best introduction to Panther and may be the only reference you will need. The coverage is surprisingly comprehensive, ranging from basic operations, such as file management, through to networking, multiple users and security, and Unix basics.
Each topic has either its own page, or a two-page spread. Text occupies one column with screen shots opposite the relevant text. Many of the entries begin with, "to . "; for example, "To record a script", and "To resolve font conflicts". The style is concise - which is how so much information has been accommodated - but clearly presented in step-by-step format and accompanied by handy tips.
The content is grouped in chapters, each of which contains items relevant to a subject such as Finder Basics and Advanced Finder Techniques. The detailed table of contents makes it easy to locate specific topics, and there is a good index. The book is thumb-indexed - an example of thoughtful design - to make particular items easy to find.
For such a complete reference-cum-tutorial this title is remarkably well priced.
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Maria Langer: Mac OS X Panther Visual Quickstart Guide ISBN 0-321-21351-3 Published by Peachpit, 646 pp., RRP $39.95 incl. GST |
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Mac OS X Unwired
About wirelss computing for Mac OS X users, this book has the sub-title, A Guide
for Home, Office, and the Road. It covers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared, radio
frequency device (RF), and mobile phone connections.
Readers should keep in mind that the standards and practice described are not
necessarily those that apply in Australia. Local wireless-user organisations and
web sites should be checked for Australian requirements and restrictions.
An introductory chapter provides an overview of wireless options, hardware, and
software. The following three chapters are about Wi-Fi in the Mac context:
AirPort cards and their installation; third-party connection solutions; setting
up a Mac for Wi-Fi; networking principles; base stations; roaming networks;
computer-to-computer networks; and finding wi-fi hotspots.
Other chapters deal with wireless security, Bluetooth, cellular connectivity,
and Rendezvous.
There is a good description of how Rendezvous works. A useful feature of OS X,
it is the Apple implementation of Zeroconf, which simplifies setting up a
network by enabling a computer to recognise network devices (such as printers
and webcams) that are Rendezvous-compatible. As one commentator says, it [Zeroconf]
puts the play back into 'plug-and-play' [Zeroconf Disassembled, Linux Magazine,
August 2003].
This is a sound, plain language text that does not require any special technical
knowledge. It shows how to install and set up the various wireless options, and
discusses issues that will help users choose the best system. The text is
supported by illustrations that include screen shots and schematic diagrams. If
you are a Mac user and want to know the ins-and-outs of going wireless, this is
the book to have.
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Tom Negrino and Dori Smith: Mac OS X Unwired ISBN 0-596-00508-3 Published by O'Reilly, 207 pp., RRP $55.00 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the February 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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