Mac OS X: The Missing Manual ranks among the best books to have at your side as you explore the latest Macintosh operating system as an everyday user who wants to get some work done, have a bit of fun, and feel part of the Mac community. David Pogue--a respected Mac authority and longtime author on the subject--is the perfect guide on such a quest, as his Mac knowledge is profound and his ability to explain facts and procedures considerable. The second edition of this popular book covers Mac OS X 10.2 and all of its many new features, including Sherlock 3, iCal, iSync, and firewalling. There's coverage of .Mac online services, as well.

Pogue writes really well, so his prose is a treat to read and most readers will appreciate his occasional page-long straight prose passages. More often, though, the wisdom in this book comes in the form of annotated procedures and bulleted lists, as well as notes and tips. There are also two highly handy "Where'd It Go?" glossaries: one for longtime Mac users (this one answers such questions as where the Apple Extras folder is) and one for Windows users (to explain, for example, the equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the Mac). Unlike most books about Mac OS X, this one explores its UNIX-like underpinnings (the Apple implementation is called Darwin) pretty thoroughly. However, based on the logic that if you wanted to use UNIX, you would, Pogue emphasizes the traditional, graphical Mac interface over the Terminal window. If you want an in-depth treatment of Darwin and know something about UNIX already, have a look at Mac OS X for Unix Geeks. --David Wall

A very useful book!

As a student, I often go to college to use computers. Most of computers are Apple computers. Because I was new to MAC OS. I have to look around to find a good book. After I found this book and there is also big discount from couponsky.com, I decide to buy it. After using the book for 6 months, I found it is very helpful. It is a user-level book. It tells me every features and application in MAC OS based computer. I recommend this book to students like me.

Pogue's in vogue but aint informed

I bought this book to help me switch from Winduhs. It's a lotta words and I later read in his New York Times column that he "types" by dictation into .. I think Dragon Naturally Speaking on a Winduhs based machine (uh hu). The book's contents could have been cut down to less than a hundred pages-- but these books are sold by the kilo anyway. He didn't really know the OS he just banged out a quick book to earn a yep a quick buck. I read his "consumer" columns in the NYtimes and find them useful but this book wasn't. Oh yeah and the switch ...... to Mac .... over rated but OK.

Great book for mac owners...

I switched to Mac OS X from windows and this book was the only reason I stayed! It helped me get a grasp of Mac OS X quickly. It even gives you great tips that will increase your productivity. I used a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was almost free for me too.