MacDirectory Magazine

Spring-Summer 2008 (#37)

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/798

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 47 of 178

BOOK REVIEWS 46 MacDirectory Mac OS X Leopard on Demand With the massive 10.5.2 update, the Mac faithful who have not made the jump to Leopard (both of you) have pretty much run out of reasons to hold off the move. But even with its familiar look and feel, Apple's latest cat has a bundle of new features. Some of the important essentials have undergone some moves and changes that may be cause for experienced users to spend more time than they want groping around. And, based on the latest numbers from the analysts, there are a bunch of new Mac users who have come over from the "other" platform. In either case, Steve Johnson's Mac OS X Leopard on Demand will be a most useful resource. What makes On Demand rather unique is its task-based approach to learning the OS. Starting with the basics of the Finder and concluding with an introduction to Automator and AppleScript, its color- coded chapters are set up to guide you through specific operations in the new OS. Johnson's approach is more visual than verbal — quite apropos for the Mac interface. The bulk of the book is comprised full-color renditions of screens and windows, with the concise, step-by- step tutorials referencing numbered call- outs on the illustrations. Each section is preceded by an introduction that can be from a couple of paragraphs to a few pages in length. They help to get you oriented and provide the essential background. Then Johnson will take you through the basic setup, when needed, and then get started on how to use the features and basic troubleshooting. Leopard's new features are highlighted clearly in the table of contents, but are not always immediately obvious in the page's text. And sometimes, in the interest of brevity, some of the descriptions can be a little too terse at times. But the author does manage to cover pretty much all the bases, even if he runs through some topics a bit quickly. In the book you'll find some links to online updates (particularly useful considering the interface enhancements that appeared with 10.5.2) and one of the better keyboard shortcut indexes we've run across. But, we're a bit perplexed why this useful appendix didn't make it into the published version. Mac OS X Leopard isn't necessarily a volume that most readers would be tempted to go through cover-to-cover. However, there are a lot of Mac users, old and new, who will want a copy at hand as they learn how to get around in Leopard. Mac OS X Leopard on Demand by Steve Johnson 554 pages > $39.99 Que Publishing ISBN 978-0-7897-3654-3 The Book of Wireless (2nd Edition) When it comes to wireless networking, Mac users have it pretty easy. Plug in your Base Station, possibly answer a couple of questions that even normal people may understand, and you're home network is set up. Flip open your new Air at your favorite coffee shop and you're online. Even though it seems simple, there's a lot going on. You'll find that out as soon as you start putting together and troubleshooting a network mash-up that involves lots of different hardware in lots of different locations. Even if you don't have a big project in the offing, it may be that you're simply curious to find out what's going on behind the scenes. BOOK REVIEWS > READ THE FINEST IN PRINT... AND ONLINE REVIEWS BY RIC GETTER

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MacDirectory Magazine - Spring-Summer 2008 (#37)