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Joe Kissell isn’t a tremendously prolific computer book author; he’s written three in the past seven years. The first --”The Nisus Way” in 1996, became a cult classic among we fans of the Nisus Writer word processor. I bought a copy. Unfortunately, while the Nisus cult is extremely enthusiastic and loyal, it is not a terribly large one (more’s the pity), so TNW was not a rip-roaring commercial success.

Joe’s second book was about Apple’s CyberDog suite of Internet Utilities, which included a Web browser, and an email client among others. CyberDog was based on Apple’s OpenDoc technology -- which was conceived as a component-based application architecture whereby a variety of small programs could tap into a pooled library of powerful features rather than having them, in many cases redundantly, integrated into each application separately.

Unfortunately again, OpenDoc proved to be have an even more sparse and mostly fickle coterie of fans than Nisus Writer, and Apple put it into “maintenance mode” with what seem to many like indecent haste. The coup de grace was administered when Steve Jobs made his famous (or infamous) 1997 deal with Bill Gates for Internet Explorer to become the default Mac OS X browser. Nevertheless, good ideas have a way resurfacing, even when buried alive, and some of the functionality of OpenDoc has been revived in OS X’s cool “Services” function.

Consequently, it’s no surprise that Joe Kissell’s third book and the subject of this review, “50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques,” contains a chapter entitled: “Unlocking Aqua’s Best-kept Secret: Services,” which explicitly notes Services’ OpenDoc heritage. As Joe puts it:

Sweet vindication! Incidentally, I think Services is one of the most compelling Mac OS X features too.

With another OS X watershed imminent in the coming release of OS X 10.3 Panther on October 24th, some might suggest that Joe Kissell’s book launch timing still leaves something to be desired, since the cover of 50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques boldly declares in bright orange text: “Covers Jaguar!,” and there is nary a whisper about Panther in the internal content. However, the vast majority of the 50 techniques therein described will apply equally well to Panther as to OS X 10.2 Jaguar, so prospective buyers need not be concerned that the book’s content is outdated. This is an OS X reference book that should remain reasonably current and useful for a couple of years anyway, which is the usual relevancy span of computer software books. “50 Fast” does not attempt to be a comprehensive OS X manual, but rather focuses on 50 discrete “fast techniques”. As Joe Kissell notes, there are many features in OS X 10.2 Jaguar that are not covered or mentioned, and virtually all the ones that are should be continued in Panther.

50 Fast Mac OS Techniques is also very reasonably priced for a 418 page book of this sort, listed at a modest $24.99, and available from Amazon.com for $17.49

There is nothing cheap about the book design or execution, with its very attractive and colorful cover art, a clean, easy on the eyes layout, and high-quality paper stock. The many illustrations are mainly screen shots, rendered in grayscale, but there is also an eight-page insert of color plates in the center of the book, which, along with the cover art, nicely show off the spectacular OS X Aqua interface.

There is no bundled CD, but Joe Kissell has created an excellent companion Website, where you can find expanded information to some of the topics covered in the book as well as links to all the software mentioned in the text.

In the book itself, the emphasis is on the “fast” mentioned in the title. To wit: each technique described teaches you how to accomplish a specific task without having to learn a lot of background or do experimentation on your own. Joe Kissell says that in selecting the 50 techniques he “tried to strike a balance between a useful and cool. Nearly every technique in this book can help you save time, energy, and money, but they’re also a lot of fun.” So let the fun begin.

Chapter 1: Read Us First

Technique 1. Learning Just Enough UNIX to Be Dangerous - Getting comfortable with the Terminal, navigating the Unix file system, working with Unix files, and exiting the Shell.

Technique 2. Becoming All-Powerful as the Root User - using the SUDO command, and enabling root user.

Technique 3. Customizing Terminal for Command-Line Power - Customizing the appearance of Terminal windows, setting up Shell access, configuring Terminal shortcuts, and installing the Developer Tools.

Chapter 2: Aqua’s Hidden Treasures

Technique 4. Preventing Window Overload with Column View - covers use of the Finder’s Column View

Technique 5. Unlocking Aqua’s Best-Kept Secret: Services - The already discussed chapter on OS X services and their use

Technique 6. Getting Info and What To Do with It - tips on configuring the Finder with Get Info

Technique 7. Finding Files with the Finder - how to make the most efficient use of the Finder’s Find search engine

Technique 8. Solving File Compatibility Problems with PDF - working with PDF files

Technique 9. Accessing Your Mac’s Multilingual Personality - exploring OS X’s multilingual capabilities

Chapter 3: Customizing Mac OS X

Technique 10. Putting More “Tool” in Your Toolbars - tweaking and customizing window toolbars

Technique 11. Enhancing the Look and Functionality of Your Windows - dressing up and customizing window appearance

Technique 12. Automating the Finder with Scripts and Folder Actions - working with AppleScript

Technique 13. Tailoring the Desktop to Your Personality - Desktop pictures and screensavers

Technique 14. Getting More from Aqua with Hidden Preferences - accessing and activating OS X hidden functions, either manually or with TinkerTool.

Technique 15. Doctoring Your Dock - making the Dock more useful and less objectionable

Technique 16. Moving Beyond the Dock with File Launchers - better file launchers (although Joe doesn’t mention my personal favorites in this category).

Technique 17. Restoring “Missing” Classic Features to Mac OS X - restoring OS 9 style (or reasonable facsimile) Apple Menu, Application Menu, scroll bar arrows, window behavior, Finder Labels, windowshading, and Trash location.

Chapter 4: Input and Control Techniques

Technique 18. Turbocharging Your Mouse - pointing device tweaks and tips

Technique 19. Boosting Your Keyboard Efficiency - keyboard shortcuts and enhancing keyboard functions with TypeIt4Me, QuickKeys, LaunchBar, and alternate keyboards.

Technique 20. Hands-Free Computing with Speech Recognition - command-and-control with speech recognition and dictation software.

Technique 21. Using a Tablet for Handwriting Recognition and More - OS X’s InkWell handwriting recognition feature explained.

Technique 22. Extending Your Reach with Universal Access - the finer points of using Universal Access

Chapter 5: Networking & Communication

Technique 23. Communicating Wirelessly with Bluetooth - setting up and working with BlueTooth wireless technology.

Technique 24. Sharing Files with Mac and Windows Computers - tips for navigating the Dark Side on networks

Technique 25. Keeping Out the Riff-Raff with a Firewall - selective access and your Mac

Chapter 6: E-Mail & Web Techniques

Technique 26. Customizing Apple’s Mail Application - getting the most out of the OS X Mail application

Technique 27. Using Rules to Keep Your In Box Manageable - configuring Mail rules (aka email filters).

Technique 28. Taming Web Searches with Sherlock 3 - using OS X’s built-in Web search engine

Technique 29. Web Browsing Secrets of the Rich and Famous - choosing the best browser for you, and getting the best performance out of it.

Chapter 7: Computing More with Less

Technique 30. Enhancing Your Inkjet Printer - tuning and optimizing ink jet printer performance

Technique 31. Microsoft-Free Computing with Open Source Software - A wonderful tutorial on how to begin getting along happily without Microsoft software polluting your hard drive. Covers browser alternatives to Internet Explorer, installing the X11 environment, installing OpenOffice, and learning the basics of X11 and Open Office.

Technique 32. Remote-Controlling Your Computer - using SSH and VNC

Technique 33. Advanced Image Editing on the Cheap with the GIMP - how to use the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) as a free alternative to Adobe’s pricey Photoshop image editing software. (perhaps worth the price of the book alone).

Chapter 8: iApps: The Digital Hub and Beyond

Technique 34. Making Smart iTunes Playlists Even Smarter - getting more out of iTunes

Technique 35. Publishing iPhoto Albums on the Web -getting more out of my photo

Technique 36. Creating a Video Photo Album with iMovie - still photos in iMovie

Technique 37. Designing a Custom iDVD Motion Menu Theme -professionalizing your iDVD movie presentations

Technique 38. Integrating iChat with Mail and Address Book - Program integration

Technique 39. Using iCal to Manage Meeting Schedules - getting more out of iCal

Technique 40. Keeping PDAs, Cell Phones, and iPods in Sync with iSync - the ins and outs of iSync

Chapter 9: Server Techniques for Nongeeks

Technique 41. Giving Your Machine a Domain Name - demystifying IP addresses, domain names, and DNS

Technique 42. Turning Your Computer into a Web Server - the “easiest and fastest” technique in the book

Technique 43. Using PHP to Create Dynamic Web Sites - more advanced Web publishing

Technique 44. Creating and Sharing Databases - working with SQL

Technique 45. Running Your Own Mail Server - becoming your own email postmaster

Chapter 10: Maintenance and Automation Techniques

Technique 46. Recovering from Crashes and Errors - dealing with stuff we were supposed to be able to forget about in OS X

Technique 47. Increasing Your Computer’s Performance - hotrodding your Mac.

Technique 48. Backing Up (and Restoring) Data Painlessly - something all of us should do religiously

Technique 49. Making a Bootable Clone of Your Hard Drive - preparing for when things go really badly

Technique 50. Scheduling Activities to Happen Automatically - letting your Mac do the heavy lifting and donkey work.

There are also two appendices, one a library of keyboard shortcuts and the other a capsule tutorial on essential Unix commands. Finally there is a very serviceable 19 page index.

50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques is a great book full of useful and interesting information. Joe Kissell’s first two books were excellent as well, but I trust that “50 Fast” will prove much more commercially successful than the Nisus Writer and CyberDog tomes did. It certainly deserves to.

Joe Kissell has worked in the Macintosh software industry for the past nine years. He managed software development for Nisus Software Inc. and Kensington Technology Group. Joe researches and writes for alt concepts, inc., an Internet publishing company.

50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques
ISBN: 0-7645-3911-6
Paperback: 432 pages
Dimensions (in inches): 1.16 x 8.92 x 7.82
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; (April 2003)
ISBN: 0764539116

For more information, visit:
http://www.wiley.com/legacy/compbooks/kissell/

Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear