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An interesting new Mac OS X book crossed my desk this week. Scott Kelby’s “the Mac OS X Conversion Kit” is a quick reference guide for OS 8/9 users making the transition to OS X, but who don’t have the time or inclination to wade into a comprehensive manual like David Pogue’s 700 word “Mac OS X: The missing Manual.” 
Sumptuously illustrated on high quality paper stock in full color throughout, “Conversion Kit” is hands-down the most aesthetically attractive OS X book I’ve encountered, but it’s not just a pretty face. The thematic motif of having the old Calssic OS way of doing things on the left facing page, and the newfangled OS X equivalent procedure (or closest facsimile) on the right leaf works very nicely. Scott’s accompanying text descriptions and explanations are both the soul of brevity and in many instances ROTFL hilarious. Scott Kelby is consistently the funniest Mac writer I’ve read, but he really knows his stuff as well. Kelby is Mac Design magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, and former editor of the late, lamented, MacToday magazine. If you’ve been using Mac OS 8/ 9 and you want to start using Mac OS X today, this book is your best trip. There are no turgid in-depth explanations about networking, no UNIX commands or instructions on how to hack the system, and no detailed descriptions of how it all works and why. In short, it’s not a “tell me all about it” book—it’s a “here’s how to do it” book, and it works.. Plus, if you look up how to do a particular task, and Mac OS X offers new features, new shortcuts, or new options that weren’t available in Mac OS 8/9 (and there are plenty), Scott includes those too, using the same to the point, conversational writing style that made his “Mac OS X Jaguar Killer Tips” book a bestseller. There’s a lot to learn in switching to OS X and a lot to get used to. This book helps flatten the learning curve as much as possible by cataloging the most important things you need to know and showing them in a format Mac users will appreciate. You’ve probably already discerned that I’m really impressed with this little book. It’s just the ticket for folks who want to switch to OS X but are apprehensive about that learning curve. Look for a full review in Moore’s Views & Reviews here on Applelinks soon. The Mac OS X Conversion Kit For more information, visit: "The book is available for $20.99 from Amazon.com." RE: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.2 Email Client From Jim Strickland You mentioned that one major drawback of Thunderbird was the inability to use multiple servers. This functionality is actually present in Thunderbird. In the Account settings preferences look at the section that lists all accounts. At the bottom of that list is an entry for Outgoing servers. When this is chosen and the advanced button is clicked, a dialog box appears allowing for the addition of multiple SMTP servers. You will then notice an Advanced button in the server settings for each account. Clicking on this button brings up a dialog box that allows you to choose the server you want to use. While I will definitely agree that the ability to use multiple SMTP servers is not nearly as easily accessible as it should be, I just wanted to point out that the functionality is indeed there. Jim Strickland Hi Jim; After receiving you rmessage I went back and dug deeper. Wow --that function is well-hidden, and about as non-intuitive as any SMTP server setting dialog I have encountered in an email application. I added more SMTP servers to the list and tried sending some test messages with mixed results. Of the five messages I sent to myself at Applelinks, only two got through, so this setup is far from foolproof, and I couldn’t trust it for anything important. It is a very lame way of doing things, presumably designed to make account setups simpler for newbies, but like most such “simplifications” (which are rampant in Microsoft software), it just screws things up. Every other email client I’ve used in earnest has allowed the user to specify a particular SMTP server in each account’s settings dialog. The Mozilla folks need to do likewise. I really like ThunderBird. It’s fast and has a lot of interesting features. However, I will not use it until they fix this. I have 13 email accounts configured in Eudora, and this outgoing server hassle just isn’t an issue. Charles
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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