Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual by David Pogue Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual
Book Review: Should be set with all new Apple Computers
Summary: 5 Stars
Apple should really survey their customers buying macs - all first time buyers should be sent a copy of this book. It is a great reference manual for new-to-mac users.Book Review: Not necessarily the best book on Mac OS X Leopard
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to agree with LifeFX's review below. There is no doubt a lot of information here, but some of it I found somewhat lacking or misleading, and for me, this was made worse by what I considered to be a distracting hyperactive writing syle.
As an example in the section on FileVault, I got the impression from reading a few pages about it that it was something I should start using as soon as possible if I was going to have any security on my Mac! The Mac OS Leopard Bible on the other hand had half a page on it that I found much more factual and descriptive of what FileVault actually does, from which I concluded that I don't really need to use it.
Some examples of where I found the book a little lacking was in how little other security issues were discussed. I found no discussion of viruses other than regarding security issues if you are running Windows with FMWare Fusion or a similar program. On the other hand the Mac OS Leopard Bible discussed viruses in much more depth and even recommended a few relevant antivirus programs. The Special Edition: Using Mac OS X Leopard by Brad Miser does as well. I know a lot of people would like to think that viruses are not relevant to them since they now have a Mac, but it's really not true, as at this point although there are fewer viruses that directly affect the Mac there still are some and others that do not affect the Mac can still pass them on to others if they are imbedded in a Word doc for example.
Another example where I felt the "Bible" went in to more depth in regards to security issues was in it's discussion of how to monitor open ports which are available to outside hackers, and how the port monitor that comes with Leopard is less effective than a recommended alternative.
I am sure that many people will find the writing style to be entertaining. I can see how they would. The author is no doubt an entertaining writer. The author is also to be commended for presenting such a wealth of information in what for many may be a more accessible style. Although all that is true, I think there are other sources of information that may be better in some ways, but then maybe not in others. In any case, I would certainly not say this is the only Mac OS Leopard book you need, nor necessarily the best, but it is certainly worth having for the tips and information it does provide.
Book Review: Lotsa New Stuff
Summary: 5 Stars
Graduated from OS 10.2.8 t0 Leopard. Also from an old, slow G4 to a new iMac. What a difference!
Had it for several weeks now and no hangups. The "spaces" are new. Once I figured them out I use them all the time. Mail has been upgraded so that I use it instead of Eudora and that's something. To me, Eudora was like an old shoe...it's been with me since 1993!
Overall, IMHO, It's well worth the upgrade.
Book Review: Everything You Need to Know about Leopard
Summary: 5 Stars
This is really a great book. I bought a few Apple Leopard books from Amazon and this is the best of the three. It has everything you need to know in a quick reference format. Lockups, booting to a command line, Grey Screen, How to's and everything to get you out of a jam etc... If you want to get one Leopard book you can use and get information quickly to solve a problem this is it. There is also a lot of great information that can be used to become a more proficient user or to enhance your computing experience (things you never thought of that are very useful). The book is actually very interesting and makes for good night time reading to get you fired up for tomorrow morning in front of the computer. Highest Recommendation - A++++Book Review: Excellent book for those switching to a Mac
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a die-hard PC user for over 20 years now. I'm a DOS guy who remembers Windows 3.0 and who is tied so tightly to the ThinkPad trackpoint that I've bought my own ThinkPads when working at companies that didn't provide them.
But I wanted to see for myself what all the hype was about, so I got my first Mac (a Mini) and started playing around with it. Yeah GarageBand was cool, and iPhoto was nice (though I missed Picasa), but I remember thinking to myself "what's all the fuss about Macs... they're not THAT special".
But then I picked up this book and started reading. It's written in such a clear, casual style that I actually went through cover-to-cover. And now I can't wait to ditch every last PC I own for a Mac.
This book covers it all. Much of it in detail (like Spotlight, Spaces, Time Machine, Expose, and System Preferences). And some of it at just enough detail to get you interested and pointed in the right direction (Automator, AppleScript, and the Terminal).
Without this book, I would have still been thinking to myself, "this is cute, but so what". With this book, I'm a convert. It really is the missing manual, and Apple should ship a copy with every new Mac (though it wouldn't really fit into the neat little Mac Mini box).