Editorial Review

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Reviews (18)

very basic
This book is for the most novice brand new user of OS X.4.If you've ever used a Mac, even OS9, don't bother with this book, its too basic.

The Little Mac Book, Tiger Edition
This book helped me get updated to the Tiger Operating System.
Robin Williams' Books Always the Best
No one writes better "How To Use It" books than Robin Williams, and this book is no exception.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    6. Macintosh (Computer)    7. Operating Systems - Macintosh    8. Operating sytems (Computers)    9. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    10. Macintosh OS   

Editorial Review

Too many writers of books about software let the software determine how they organize the material. If the File menu contains commands A, B, and C, the writers put A, B, and C in the same chapter, regardless of whether they're functionally similar. Read more

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Reviews (13)

You Have Got To Be Kidding?
As someone who bought his first computer in 1986 it's been a long strange trip from there to here. And things have not exactly been gettin better all the time!
The Missing Manual
Just Switched from MSFT. Not as good as Apple Works For Dummies.

The Missing Macros
Page 323-327 tells you how to use the macros in AppleWorks 6. It says to look under FILE and MACROS. If they're there I couldn't find them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. AppleWorks    2. Business Software - General    3. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    4. Computer Books And Software    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computers    7. Integrated software    8. Reference - General    9. Word Processing - General    10. Computer / Apple/Macintosh    11. Computers / Business Software / General    12. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    13. Computers/Word Processing - General    14. Integrated software packages    15. Macintosh OS   

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Internet    6. Internet - General    7. Internet - Web Site Design    8. Macintosh (Computer)    9. Miscellaneous Software    10. Operating Systems - Macintosh    11. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    12. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (8)

A thorough grounding that will need supplementation
Let's start with the basic, should-be-obvious premiss: the Final Cut video editing platform is NOT "iMovie Complete"...except in the sense that it is completely different. The differences between Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro are in certain capabilities -- Express is not a "dumbed-down" version of Pro, it just lacks certain capabilities. The interface is a professional non-linear editing (NLE) tool whose efficient use is not obvious at first launch, unlike iMovie.
Be Careful of Second Hand DVD's
The book looks good and but it was a few months before I settled down to start learning Final Cut Express.Unfortunately the DVD supplied with the used book was seriously corrupted so the book is virtually useless and I do not remember where I bought for return....grrrr

Well Intended but Painful
If you like to read every last detail of how to perform a task, this is the book for you. She really was complete.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computers    6. Computers - Other Applications    7. Data processing    8. Digital video    9. Editing    10. Final cut (Electronic resource    11. Motion pictures    12. Operating Systems - Macintosh    13. Video tapes    14. Computers / Interactive Media    15. Image processing: video    16. Video photography   

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Apple And Macintosh Programming    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: Operating Systems    5. Computers    6. Computers & Technology    7. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    8. Desktop Publishing - General    9. Education / Teaching    10. Miscellaneous Software    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    13. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh   

Reviews (3)

It is really good book, pleasure to spend time with.
OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used command line before, type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. If you really need the initial training I would say that "UNIX Essentials" DVD I found here on Amazon is a nice option. It is complete UNIX course recorded and this book and a video they contribute one another greatly. You improve the reading and by reading you improve what you have seen.
Mostly good stuff
Structured in a distinctive but helpful way, "The Mac OS X Command Line: Unix Under the Hood" is quite a solid introduction to the command line, a mechanism that not only speeds and simplifies many tasks but also lets you do a number of things unavailable under the GUI. Its 400+ pages, arranged fundamentally as a tutorial, are replete with basic steps and shortcuts alike. The book covers everything from Terminal ("gateway" to the command line) to the file system to text editing and printing; in the later chapters, it moves on to such relatively advanced topics as file compression and archiving, groups and permissions, networking, program and process management, system maintenance, and shell configuration. Interleaved between the chapters (and here is where the book's structure is distinctive) are sections devoted to key Unix concepts that recur to the point of transcending multiple chapters; these nine sections, referred to as Interludes, tackle things like command syntax, pathnames, redirection, the "open" command (more powerful than it may sound), wildcards, and ways of automating commands.
Clear and easy to follow
As anyone who's used one of Kirk McElhearn's other books on the Mac OS will be unsurprised to hear, I found this book very easy to follow -- so easy in fact that I found I could skip the first few chapters. That's probably because I'm not a complete command-line virgin (I remember the days before Windows and the first Mac OS, and as a web designer I've done a bit of tinkering in Unix on some of the web servers I use) but even if you are, from my impression of the first chapters, this book can tell you everything you need to know to start using the command line.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Macintosh (Computer)    6. Operating Systems - Macintosh    7. Operating Systems - UNIX    8. Operating systems (Computers)    9. Programming    10. UNIX (Computer software)    11. Unix (Operating System)    12. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    13. Macintosh OS    14. Unix, Unix Linux & Unix TCL/TK   

Reviews (4)

Nice book
This book will take you from A to Z but seam to be a little outdted because Studio Pro is now 4.0 but anyway,this book is well done. I will gladly share it to my videographer friends.

Took me from "somewhat willing" to "very able" in two days!
Thank you Martin Sitter!I am a filmmaker/photographer who needed to move into the realm of making DVDs. You took me from A to Z in an informative, easy to understand way.I really liked how you started at the beginning of what the differences are between DVDs and CDs and especially what countries use what format (all those film festival markets!)Words like MPEG-2 video streams, encoding, and assets roll off my tongue now and it all makes sense!
Good, But!
Basically a excellent tutorial and reference. But unfortunately falls into the
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Desktop Publishing    5. Desktop Publishing - General    6. General    7. Operating Systems - Macintosh    8. Computers / Interactive Media    9. Computing and Information Technology   

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Reviews (21)

Windows XP Home Edition : The Missing Manual (Missing Manual)
I found this book to be an excellent resource.It explains everything in simple, easy terms with plenty of illustrations.I found it to be a mostinvaluable resource that I refer to all the time.

Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual
Provides guidance for novice and more advanced user of the operating system.Index mmakes it very easy to problem solve.Very satisfied with my purchase.

Looks like an excellent user manual.
Haven't had time to do much more than skim the topic listings, but it appears to be an excellent manual, which I will use as a reference, guide, and problem solver. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computer operating systems    4. Computers    5. Computers - Operating Systems    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    7. Microcomputer Integrated Application Software    8. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    9. Operating Systems - Macintosh    10. Operating Systems - Windows XP    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Computers / General    13. Computers / Operating Systems    14. Computers / Operating Systems / General    15. Microsoft Windows    16. Windows XP, Operating systems, Control Panel, Installing, maintenance, backup   

Reviews (6)

BAND ON THE RUN! BAND ON THE RUN!
Would you like to be able to create professional sounding musical recordings? If you would, you're in luck! Author David Pogue, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that will guide you through a long list of enhancements, large and small, that make GarageBand a better musical tool than ever before.
Great for anyone working with GarageBand
GarageBand is not aimed at professional musicians. Instead it is intended to help amateurs produce music easily. The application comes with 1,000 pre-recorded sampled loops, plus 50 sampled or synthesized instruments which can be played using a MIDI keyboard connected to the computer, or using an on-screen keyboard. This is a complex piece of software, thus enters David Pogue and his "Missing Manual" series to explain it all.
Much more than a Manual
David Pogue's, "GarageBand 2: The Missing Manual" is much more than a Manual for GarageBand 2. It is a treasure-trove of tips and tricks, a detailed-yet-comprehensible resource, and it is the best non-periodical Computer publication I have had the joy to read.
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Subjects:  1. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Digital audio editors    5. GarageBand (Computer file)    6. Interactive & Multimedia    7. Musical Instruments - Keyboard    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Computer / Apple/Macintosh    10. Computers / Interactive Media    11. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    12. Computers/Interactive & Multimedia    13. Multimedia    14. digital recording, samples, audio, sequencer, recorder, track, loops, prerecorded loops, sounds, MP3, musical, music   

Reviews (5)

Computer Reference Books
I received Excel X for Mac OS X in excellent condition. Love it. Thank you.

Great for beginners
This is the second book I've purchased written by Maria Langer.The first was Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide).Like the book for panther. Excel X is great for those new to the program, or for those who have little experience in formating the spreadsheets, conjuring up formulas, and establish and managing lists.
Excellent way to quickly transfer your Excel skills from Wintel to Mac.
This book probably works just as well for an introduction to Excel for the ones who have no experience with this program.Given that I have extensive experience with Excel, my review focuses on this guide's ability to transfer your Excel skills from the Wintel to the Mac OS environment.
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Subjects:  1. Business    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer programs    5. Computers    6. Electronic spreadsheets    7. Microcomputer Spreadsheet Software    8. Microsoft Excel (Computer file    9. Microsoft Excel (Computer file)    10. Operating Systems - Macintosh    11. Spreadsheets - Excel    12. Spreadsheets - General    13. Computers / Spreadsheets / General    14. Excel    15. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (4)

Easy to use reference for a Novice-Intermediate After Effects Student
I found this book to be a very easy to navigate reference for my attempt at learning and using After Effects. I recommend it as an excellent cross-reference resource, especially if you are attending an After Effects classroom. I'm not sure, however, whether a nubie or novice would be able to learn easily just from reading this bookalone. Nevertheless, I give this book and the way it is structured, two-thumbs up as far as adding it to anyone's Visual Media Library.

typical
I wasn't expecting anything less and the only reason I got the book was because it was cheaper on amazon then at my college's bookstore.Now what I didn't realize was the fact that Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects volumes 1 and 2 are far superior to any other book out there.So I recommend those instead.This book is just as dull and boring as most informational software books with little explanation about how to do things, little picture representation and only explaining the basics oh in say 700 pages.... if you know how to use adobe illustator or photoshop which u clearly should if you intend on using aftereffects, I suggest whether you are a beginner intermediate or advanced animator to get the creating motion graphics books instead.Ya 10$ more but the learning experience and education you'll get from those books compared to this one is uncomparable.
Good Basic Book for After Effects
It says the books in the Visual QuickPro series are similar to the Visual QuickStart series, but QuickPro is for more advanced users. After Effects is, by its very nature, a more advanced application for creating video than, say iMovie. That's because After Effects is a "motion graphics" program with far more features than basic video editing. I think of it as Photoshop with motion and a timeline.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe After Effects    2. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    3. Business Software - General    4. Cinematography    5. Computer Books: General    6. Computer Graphics - General    7. Computers    8. Computers - Desktop Publishing    9. Data processing    10. Operating Systems - Macintosh    11. Operating Systems - Windows    12. Special effects    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    14. Image processing: graphics (static images)   

Reviews (2)

Big Thumbs Up
Another winner for the Dummies Series.Brand new Apple user here.Book was a godsend.

a lifestyle book
Chambers shows the iMac to be a lifestyle choice. It comes bundled with an impressive array of applications that let you easily and intuitively use in everyday life. As in iPhoto, to maintain a digital photo collection, and also to publish it on your website, if you so desire. Or the well named GarageBand. Which helps you and your friends put together a recorded song, without an expensive sound studio. And of course, don't forget iTunes, which lets you get cheap access to many, many songs. Plus, iTunes is well integrated with the iPod.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Apple And Macintosh Programming    3. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    4. Computer Animation    5. Computer Books: General    6. Computer Books: Operating Systems    7. Computers    8. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    9. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    10. Internet - General    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. iMac (Computer)    13. Computer Hardware & Operating Systems    14. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / Macintosh   

Subjects:  1. Computer Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Desktop Publishing - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    9. Operating Systems - Macintosh    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Computers / Interactive Media    12. Multimedia   

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Bks - Apple / Macintosh    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Operating Systems    6. Computers    7. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    8. Mac OS    9. Operating Systems - General    10. Operating Systems - Macintosh    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    13. Macintosh OS   

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Reviews (4)

An excellent intro to Obj-C for those who need the depth
Probably the best book to read to learn Objective-C, if Apple's PDF on the language is not enough for you.Covers Objective-C both from Cocoa and non-Cocoa perspectives.Try Apple's PDF first, and if it's not enough to let you jump into one of the Cocoa programming books (which all mostly assume knowledge of C and Objective-C), then this book is recommended.

Handy, well written Objective-C Reference!
Andrew Duncan's Objective-C Pocket Reference is just the book that budding Cocoa programmers should have on their desk.It is well written, well indexed, and succinct enough to read in an evening if desired. A great resource for digging deeper into Objective-C
O'Reilly's OBJECTIVE-C POCKET REFERENCE follows in its line of slim booklets designed for quick reference while at the computer. I found it a very helpful book.Read more

Subjects:  1. C (Computer language)    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer programming    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Object-oriented programming (C    7. Object-oriented programming (Computer science)    8. Programming - Object Oriented Programming    9. Programming Languages - C    10. Programming Languages - CGI, Javascript, Perl, VBScript    11. Programming languages (Electro    12. Programming languages (Electronic computers)    13. C & Visual C    14. C (Computer program language)    15. Computers / Languages / Programming    16. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    17. Computers / Programming Languages / C    18. Computers/Programming - Object Oriented Programming    19. Object-oriented programming (Computer science   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - FileMaker Pro    7. FileMaker pro    8. FileMaker pro (Computer software)    9. Microcomputer Database Management Software    10. Microcomputer Operating Environments    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. Operating Systems - Windows    13. Computers / Database Management / General    14. Database software   

Reviews (4)

Nice addition to my OSX UNIX library
Since I converted I have found OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used it before type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. I paired this book with that "UNIX Essentials" DVD I found here on Amazon and it is complete OS UNIX course recorded and this book and a video they contribute one another greatly. You improve the reading and by reading you improve what you have seen.
The Definitive Guide to Panther

Hefty, deep and well written
It's tough to tell this from Amazon, but this book is a thousand pages, which makes it quite a hefty tome. But that doesn't make it a doorstop. There are screenshots, but they are, by in large, useful and relevant, and the book doesn't use them to tell a click by click story of the interface.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Bks - Apple / Macintosh    4. Computer Books: Operating Systems    5. Computer operating systems    6. Computers    7. Macintosh (Computer)    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Operating systems (Computers)    10. Programming    11. Computers / General    12. Mac OS X, Mac OS, Macintosh, Mac, OS X, Panther, 10.3, Apple, Finder, Dock, System Preferences, Java, AppleScript, System Administration, Network Administration, BSD, Unix, FreeBSD, Terminal, Perl, Darwin, Apache, MySQL, vi, vim, Emacs, CVS, tcsh, bash, Bourne shell, VPN, SSH, Secure Shell, Directory Services, Open Directory, NetInfo, osascript, OSA, AFP, Rendezvous, SMB, Samba, Developer Tools, Xcode, Interface Builder, Fink, Darwin Ports     13. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (9)

very nice general OS X UNIX book, good way to get involved...
I like easy to read book and I also had assumed that learning UNIX is not necessarily has to a struggle. This book stood up to my expectations almost perfectly. It does not overwhelm with technical details and does not press too much. I also followed someone's review advice and purchased "UNIX Essentials" DVD that is complete OS X UNIX course recorded. These two nicely complement one another. You watch it and you read it. If you didn't catch it from the first try you watch it again and read it again. In two months I found myself confident to that extend that gave advises to our system administrator and he accepted them because there were subjects that he wasn't completely sure. I can't overstate how much I have learned from them. Don't be naive, though. You will have to learn and memorize many things. The fact of owning neither book nor DVD will not make you knowledgeable, but if you will work it trough, trust me, you will surprise many people around!

Do NOT buy this book if you are a
This book is a disjointed collection of largely irrelevant information. Here are some examples that reflect the general spirit of the book:
Very good for basic understanding of OS X' Unix background
I think the book is a good source for the first things you need to know when turning to the Unix features of Mac OS X. It's kind of a collection of everything you would use valuable time to look for elsewere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Programming    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computer operating systems    5. Computers    6. Mac OS    7. Macintosh (Computer)    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Operating Systems - UNIX    10. Operating systems (Computers)    11. Programming    12. UNIX (Computer file)    13. Unix (Operating System)    14. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    15. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Book for Beginners or Avid Users Switching Over
I have been an Avid user all my life and I finally decided to buy Final Cut for my personal lap top computer when I switched to a Mac this year.This Visual QuickStart Guide is the perfect transition tool to move from Avid to Final Cut seamlessly.It got my brain thinking Final Cut instead of comparing it to Avid.Great book and great price.The only downside is there is virtually no discussion of how to use LiveType.

No LiveType information
This book, while quite good, doesn't contain any help in regard to using LiveType. Just thought people should be aware of this important fact. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - General Information    6. Final cut (Electronic resource)    7. General    8. Interactive & Multimedia    9. Mac OS    10. Operating Systems - Macintosh    11. Computers / Interactive Media    12. Image processing: video    13. Multimedia   

Reviews (54)

Excellent book on FreeBSD, maybe the only one you'll need
This is a very good book on FreeBSD. It touches on just about every aspect of installing, configuring, and running FreeBSD. It leans more towards desktop use then server use, but there is lots of good information on configuring network services. There is also a huge section just on networking itself.
A Must Have, But Could Be Better
The two books that I use most frequently when administering my FreeBSD server, are this one by Lehey and UNIX System Administration Handbook by Nemeth et al.Lehey's book is easy to understand, and covers most instances where FreeBSD varies from other Unix varieties.
Not the book to learn FreeBSD
I bought this book based on the reviews here.I know very little about using Unix.I flipped through the book and found it easy to read as well as covering all the topics that other books missed.What bothered me was the size of the book which made me think some topics might get skimmed over.