1476 I review a lot of books here in this column, but one I've been especially looking forward to is the latest edition of David Pogue's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. Not that I've been in any suspense over whether the book would be good. The expectation based on previous editions and Pogue's work in general is that it would be superb. No, anticipation was that of pure pleasure in reading what Pogue has to say about what's new and different in the latest OS X version in the latest revision of the book that all other Mac OS X books are measured by (something often explicitly acknowledged by other authors in their introductory notes).

Yes, Mac OS X: The Missing Manual is the OS X book to have if you're only having one, and I'm delighted to report that the Panther edition carries on that tradition in exemplary fashion. So, if you have upgraded to OS X 10.3 Panther or are contemplating doing so, and wondering if you should also upgrade your copy of OS X: TMM to the third edition, the answer is of course." OS X 10.3 has over 150 major changes and/or new features plus countless lesser tweaks. Getting up to speed and having a ready reference for all this new stuff will make having an up-to-date copy of TMM well worthwhile.

This book keeps growing with every revision. The first edition was 581 pages. The second, Jaguar edition was 713 pages. The Panther version is 763 pages, partly attributable to the inclusion of new mini-manuals for iMovie, iPhoto, iChat, iTunes, and Safari, as well as other programs included with the system. Of course, there is a fair bit of content that has been recycled from the first two editions, but Pogue says there is not one single page that has not been changed in the book, reflecting the major revamp of OS X that Panther represents.

Indeed, Panther is a much more substantial rework of OS X than its predecessor, Jaguar, was over OS X 10.1 (Puma), and this edition of TMM is much more than a quick rewrite of the earlier edition.

There has also been a fair bit of refinement in the discussions of carryover OS X functions from previous versions and, more tips and tricks included, plus new uses of old ideas.

The book has also been refocused somewhat to address a wider audience. Pogue notes that these days many people using OS X have no background in OS 9, more and more coming from Windows or earlier versions of OS X, or perhaps completely new to computing. Consequently, there is a lot less "Mac OS 9 did it this way, while OS X does it this way" exposition, and where such comparisons are still deemed necessary, they are likely to appear in sidebar boxes titled "Nostalgia Corner."

But Mac OS X: The Missing Manual is still written to accommodate readers of every level of computing expertise. The main discussions are targeted to advanced-beginner/intermediate users, with "Up To Speed" sidebars provided to fill in new users with introductory information where appropriate. For advanced users, more technically esoteric material is provided in sidebar boxes called "Power Users Clinic." The book is also still copiously illustrated with mostly screen shots which show graphically what the text is explaining.

As with the last edition of the book OS X TMM Panther Edition is divided into six parts, each containing several chapters.

Part One, "The Mac OS X Desktop" covers everything you see on the screen when you start up your computer running Panther. The Dock, the window sidebar, Expose, icons, windows, scroll bars, the Trash, aliases, the Apple Menu, and so forth. Even though I have been using OS 10.3 every day for a couple of months, I found the section on Expose for instance especially useful and learned things that allow me to use the feature more efficiently.

Part Two, "Applications And OS X" describes how to work with programs in Panther; basic stuff like launching, switching among applications, data swapping, creating documents, and using the AppleScript automation software. There are also lots of information and tips on using older Mac OS applications in OS X Classic Mode that will be especially useful for folks migrating from OS 9 to Panther.

Part Three, "Components Of Mac OS X" gets into the nitty - gritty details of OS X itself, including detailed exposition of the functions and features of the 24 System preferences panels and the 50 programs that load in the Application and Utilities folders when you install OS X.

Part Four, "The Technologies Of OS X" moves on to more advanced topics such as networking, remote access, security, and setting up multiple accounts for several users sharing a single Mac. Other topics covered in this part include font management, printing, working with graphics, handwriting recognition, OS X;s prodigious multimedia capabilities, and some discussion of the Unix core that underlies Panther's spectacular user interface.

Part Five, "Mac OS X Online," is the Internet section of the book, telling all about the OS X Mail email client application, and the Safari Web browser, as well as the Sherlock web search engine, the iChat instant messaging program, the iCal calendar application, and iSync for keeping your phone book and address book synchronized between your desktop and laptop for your home and office Macs, cellphone, iPod, and PalmPilot. There is also information on Web sharing, Internet sharing, firewalls, and Apple's online .Mac services. For folks who want to interact directly with OS X's Unix guts, there are some concise tutorials on command line computing.

Part Six contains several appendices, including two "Where'd It Go?" listings for Mac OS 9 and Windows �migr�s respectively; a tutorial on installing Panther; a troubleshooting guide; and a list of resources and references for further reading.

Of course, this outline barely scratches the surface of what's contained in this nearly 800 page book. The cool thing that I've found over a couple of years using the Missing Manual books as my first resort reference to learning and using OS X is its even comprehensiveness. If there is something you need to know, you can almost always find it addressed in OS X: TMM, which strikes a satisfying balance between overwhelming you with esoteric technical details and frustrating you by only providing elementary basics. It's sort of the "Mama Bear" motif of OS X tutorialism -- not too much; not too little; but just right. Aristotle's "Golden Mean" to use a more sophisticated analogy.

If you are the a complete computer newbie, you might be best advised to start with a good book targeted at beginners, like Aaron Rosenzweig's "The Old Fart's Guide To The Macintosh," or if you are well beyond the basics stage, a more technically challenging book like Dan Frakes' OS X Power Tools or Joe Kissell's 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques Techniques might be more satisfactory, but for the vast majority of OS X users, it's really tough to beat OS X: The Missing Manual for its eponymous purpose. It really is "the book that should have been in the box," and to repeat what I said above, it's the Mac OS X book to have if you're only having one.

Bravo David Pogue and O'Reilly Associates -- the Panther Edition of OS X: TMM is the best yet, and the bar was already set pretty high. This book richly deserves its status as the best-selling Mac OS X volume, With 300,000 copies in print, and it is truly a valuable service to the Mac community as well.

Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
By David Pogue
December 2003
Series: The Missing Manuals
782 pages,
$29.95 US, $43.95 CA, �20.95 UK

For more information, visit:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macxmmpanther/

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