a review by Tom Piper
By: David Pogue
Publisher: O'Reilly Media / Pogue Press
Formats: Print, Ebook, Safari Books Online
Print: October 2011
Ebook: October 2011
Pages: 928
Print ISBN: 978-1-4493-9749-4 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-9749-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4493-0905-3 | ISBN 10: 1-4493-0905-4
“‘Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.’ Dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs” . . . so begins the ninth in a series of Missing Manuals, complete with David’s wonderful and irreverent sense of jocularity.
As the online description says, with Lion, Apple has unleashed the most innovative version of Mac OS X yet. Once again, David Pogue brings his humor and expertise to this bestselling Mac book. Mac OS X 10.7 completely transforms the Mac user interface with multi-touch gestures borrowed from the iPhone and iPad, and includes more 250 brand-new features. This publication reveals them all with a wealth of insight and detail. Thankfully, it even examines closely iCloud, Apple's wireless, free syncing service for Macs, PCs, iPhones, and iPads.
This book is perfect for newcomers and veterans. The reader gets a crystal-clear, jargon-free introduction to the Dock, the Mac OS X folder structure, Safari, Mail, and iCloud. You can learn how to use key new features such as full-screen apps, Mission Control, the new Mac App Store, Launchpad, Resume, Auto Save, Versions, AirDrop, and more. Power users can learn how to set up a network, make a Lion flash drive, and even learn the basics of Lion's underlying Unix. There's something new on practically every page of this new edition, and David Pogue brings his celebrated wit and expertise to every one of them. Apple's brought a new cat to town, and “Mac OS X Lion: The Missing Manual” is one of the best ways to tame it.
A quick glance at the Table of Contents reveals a well-organized approach and sequence that takes the viewer from the desktop through programs and deep into the components and technologies of Mac OS X 10.7. Whether its a cover-to-cover read, or a quick reference tool, navigation is easy and effective:
The Mac OS X Desktop
Chapter 0 The New Lion Landscape
Chapter 1 Folders & Windows
Chapter 2 Organizing Your Stuff
Chapter 3 Spotlight
Chapter 4 Dock, Desktop & Toolbars
Programs in Mac OS X
Chapter 5 Documents, Programs, & Mission Control
Chapter 6 Entering Data, Moving Data & Time Machine
Chapter 7 Services, Automator & AppleScript
Chapter 8 Windows on Macintosh
The Components of Mac OS X
Chapter 9 System Preferences
Chapter 10 The Free Programs
Chapter 11 CDs, DVDs & iTunes
The Technologies of Mac OS X
Chapter 12 Accounts, Parental Controls & Security
Chapter 13 Networking, File Sharing & AirDrop
Chapter 14 Printing, Scanning, Fonts & Graphics
Chapter 15 Sound, Movies & Speech
Chapter 16 The Unix Crash Course
Mac OS X Online
Chapter 17 Internet Setup & iCloud
Chapter 18 Mail & Contacts
Chapter 19 Safari
Chapter 20 iChat
Chapter 21 SSH, FTP, VPN & Web Sharing
Appendixes
Appendix Installing Mac OS X Lion
Appendix Troubleshooting
Appendix The Windows-to-Mac Dictionary
Appendix The Master Mac OS X Secret Keystroke List
Because my shelves are full, and my iPad longing for more material, I chose to review the ebook version of this book (both in PDF and ePub). Admittedly, I am disappointed that this version is in black-and-white (I’m a sucker for color displays), but the illustrations are clear and concise, describing well the focus of that section.
This is yet another great book from O’Reilly which can be acquired at http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920014553.do. A variety of version are available with print at $34.99, ebook at $27.99, or both for $38.49. With all the cussing and discussing of the new Lion operating system, this is definitely the manual that you want that was missing from the download when you updated. I highly recommend David’s latest masterpiece.
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