Mac OS X 10.1 (Visual QuickStart Guide) - Softcover

Langer, Maria

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0321116313 ISBN 13: 9780321116314

Publisher: Peachpit Pr, 2002

Synopsis

Now that every new Macintosh computer ships with Mac OS X 10.1, you need Mac OS X 10.1: Visual QuickStart Guide to show you how to get the most out of Apple's radically redesigned operating system. Responding to user input on the initial release of OS X, Apple has improved the already-gorgeous Aqua user interface and added a number of enhancements--all of which veteran Mac author Maria Langer walks you through in this Visual QuickStart Guide.

Offering the detailed, step-by-step instructions and plentiful visual aids that have become hallmarks of the VQS series, Mac OS X 10.1: Visual QuickStart Guide provides everything you need to know to install, configure, and use the OS and its accompanying software. Before you know it, you'll be burning CDs, watching DVD movies, customizing your Dock, sharing files across networks, and more--all on an operating system that has the power, stability, and security of Unix at its core.

About this title

Review

The latest release of the venerable Mac OS makes only incremental improvements on its predecessor, but it's worth remembering that the predecessor was Mac OS X--a watershed release that incorporated a UNIX kernel for the first time. In Mac OS X 10.1: Visual QuickStart Guide, Maria Langer makes incremental improvements to her book on Mac OS X, documenting the new features of version 10.1, notably support for DVD movies and easy CD burning from within the Finder. It's nothing earthshaking, but this is the version of the book you'll want if you're unfamiliar with Mac OS and have just purchased a Macintosh. Langer's book is one of the best Mac OS beginners' primers around.

The Visual QuickStart style, which relies heavily on the close integration of text and graphics to convey information, suits Mac OS well. In the one-page spread on burning CDs, for example, Langer presents a nine-step process that's illustrated by no fewer than five screen shots. Every time she references a dialog box or menu in the text of her instructions, there's a picture of the relevant interface item to the side, so it's always clear what you're supposed to be seeing. This sort of picture-heavy tutorial is typical of coverage throughout the book. --David Wall

Topics covered: Everything an everyday user (as opposed to a programmer or network administrator) can do with Mac OS X 10.1. The fundamentals of file management with the Finder, launching applications, printing, connecting to the Internet, and using Sherlock are all covered. There's even a little AppleScript coverage for Mac users who want to do a little automation.

About the Author

Maria Langer is the author of 30 computer books, including bestselling Visual QuickStart Guides for Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Word, Excel, and PageMill. A columnist for Mac Today and FileMaker Pro Advisor, she also writes for Mac Addict and other publications. She is a Webmaster and an Internet content creator.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachpit Pr
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0321116313
• ISBN 13: 9780321116314
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 316