David Pogue's 'Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual' is subtitled: 'The Book That Should Have Been In The Box.'

Regular Applelinks readers will recall that this missing manual issue is one of my perennial beefs. I detest reading manuals and help files online, especially since I have never encountered an online help resource that was well-written, convenient to use, or easy to follow.

Back in the good ol' days, that is: the early '90s, when you bought a new piece of software you could depend upon getting a real, printed, bound, user manual -- often several manuals. I remember unpacking my brand new copy of Microsoft Word 5.1, along with its seven or eight bundled print manuals, including a 1,000 plus page main tome that soon became dog-eared with use.

I fondly remember the great manuals that came with my old Mac Plus, including an excellent one for the bundled HyperCard application. By comparison, Word 98 comes with a pathetic little 250 page pamphlet, containing mostly pictures for the literacy-challenged, and Mac OS 9 comes with no print manual at all, despite the fact that it includes over 50 new features.

As Mr. Pogue puts it, "to learn about the 2000 pieces of software that make up this operating system, you're expected to use one of Apple's three mutually incompatible Help Systems (Balloon Help, Apple Guide, and the Web-like Mac Help)."

Almost every major software company sells its increasingly sophisticated software these days without adequate printed manuals. To cut costs and save production time, software companies often don't offer printed instruction manuals at all. Instead, you're expected to learn these complex programs by reading electronic help screens.

Hence the book we are reviewing here.

Perceiving a need, O'Reilly/Pogue Press offers as the first volume in their "Missing Manual" series -- "Mac OS 9: the Missing Manual." Popular Macintosh columnist and author David Pogue brings his inimitable humor and expertise to the topic of Mac OS 9 in this new guide.

"The missing manual idea wasn't actually mine," said Pogue. "It came from a guy on a trade-show bus. Something about me must have screamed 'Free therapy' because the guy started to vent. He was furious that most software companies have stopped producing printed manuals. (Or, as he put it 'Like they can't afford another 50 cents a box?')."

"Instead they -- Netscape, Intuit, Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, everyone -- expect you to learn complex software using online help screens. You can't underline it, bookmark it, or read it in the bathroom. You couldn't follow the steps even if you wanted to because its own window covers up the software you're trying to use. And worst of all, online help is usually terribly written."

To that commendable rant I will add the seemingly obvious point that the reason you need a manual may well be that you are experiencing a malfunction that prevents you accessing online resources.

Less serious but still annoying, online help inhibits "serendipity.” -- the “things I discovered while looking up something else” dynamic. I love to settle down in a comfy chair and browse through computer or software manuals even if I’m not looking for help with something specific. I never do this with online manuals, which I hate so much that I have to be really desperate to access them at all. There is nothing like being able to sit down with a real printed BOOK and either sleuth our a particular problem, or just browse. IMHO, so electronic screen experience will ever be able to replace the sheer pleasure of books.

Back on the bus with David Pogue, he says that "By this time, my mind was racing. Everyone complains about the disappearance of software manuals, but nobody does anything about it! By gum, I wasn't going to waste my life hunting through online help. I would create -- the Missing Manual series.

Topics covered in 'Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual' include step-by-step guides to setting up small networks, tutorials on Mac OS 9's new Multiple Users control panel, and coverage of Mac OS 9's color printing, digital video, and self-updating software features.

Mr. Pogue, who co-authors the MacWorld Mac Secrets series with Joseph Schorr and who has authored several "....For Dummies" volumes, naturally offers tips on little shortcuts, drag-and-drop surprises, and elegant design touches that make the MacOS the most passionately championed computer interface in the world.

Having reviewed Gene Steinberg's "Mac OS 9: The Complete Reference" (Osborne/McGraw-Hill ) here last month, it is impossible for me not to compare the two books, which on the surface seem to be addressing the same need.

However the fact is that they are respectively quite different. For one thing, the Steinberg book is about twice as big at 916 pages, versus the Pogue book's 461 pages, and it also costs just about exactly twice as much -- $39.95 as opposed to The Missing Manual's $19.95. "Complete Reference" has 36 chapters plus a Glossary, while "Missing Manual has 21 chapters and three appendices.

The Pogue book also has a more narrowly focused scope, sticking carefully to its "Missing Manual" theme, while the Steinberg book likewise honors its "Complete Reference" billing by covering a much broader range of subject matter, including many tutorials in how to use an eclectic variety of Apple and third-party peripherals and software applications. In fact more than half or of the Steinberg book is devoted to non strictly Mac OS 9 topics.

Even in their respective, specifically MAC OS 9 contents, the two books differ substantially in emphasis. For example, Mr. Pogue, who personally suffers from repetitive stress injury, devotes a full 12 pages to Apple's PlainTalk speech recognition feature, while PlainTalk only receives a brief paragraph or two of mention in Steinberg's tome. The Pogue book's AppleScript section is 22 pages long, while Mr. Steinberg's AppleScript chapter covers just 11 pages.

Both books do a thorough and creditable job of explaining the basics and finer points of Mac OS 9, however I have to give Mr. Pogue's "The Missing Manual" the edge for more intensive detail if what you are looking for is a pure manual substitute. However, few software publishers manuals were ever as entertaining as David Pogue's prose.

Both books are illustrated with screen shots, but again I found Mr. Pogue's choices more detailed and informative.

I was interested and amused to discover that I had a point of disagreement with both authors on hard drive partitioning issues. In the review of Mr. Steinberg's book, I disputed his assertion that it is unwise to use the Start Up Disk control panel to select different operating systems on hard drive partitions. I have done this for years, on a variety of computers, and have never had even a hint of a problem.

In his dissertation on partitioning, David Pogue suggests that there's not much reason these days to partition one's hard drive, since there are no speed or safety benefits. Oddly, he did not mention the fact, that Apple's HFS+ extended hard drive format that was introduced with Mac 0S 8.1, has indeed eliminated one of the most compelling reasons for hard drive partitioning -- that of large minimum file sizes on large volumes under the old HFS formatting protocol. However, I find that there are still advantages to having partitions, particularly with today's enormous hard drive capacities.

For one thing, if you have a crash, Disk First Aid will only automatically examine the boot partition, rather than the whole hard drive. My OS 9 boot partition is just 320 MB (too small, by the way; I should have gone 500 MB), and Disk First Aid takes plenty of time just examining it after crashes. It could get plenty old waiting for DFA to check out a 6 MB or 10 MB non-partitioned drive. Yes, I know you can turn the automatic disk check off, and I do run Norton Disk Doctor on the whole hard drive once in a while, but I find that the single partition check is a good compromise for crash rebooting.

Also, notwithstanding Mr. Steinberg's protest, I personally find it convenient to have more than one operating system version available. In fact, I have four partitions on the 2 GB hard drive of my PowerBook, and three of them have operating systems installed: Mac OS 9, Mac OS 8.5.1, and Mac OS 8.1. Having an alternate system to boot from is especially useful for troubleshooting purposes, and keeping older systems around can bail you out when you need to use software that has not been upgraded or is not upgradable to support the latest OS.

Speaking of which, David Pogue supplies a handy list of applications that have compatibility issues with OS 9.

If you are familiar with some of David Pogue's other books, such as the Macs For Dummies or the MacWorld Mac Secrets series, or his articles and columns in MacWorld magazine, then you know what to expect in terms of style, and you won't be disappointed. If you are not already familiar with David Pogue's is writing, then you are in for a treat. Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual, is organized into five sections: The Mac OS 9 Desktop; Applications In Mac OS 9; The Components Of Mac OS 9; Mac OS 9 Online; And Plugging Into Mac OS 9. The three appendices are: Mac OS 9, Menu By Menu; Installing Mac OS 9; And Troubleshooting Cue Card.

Liberally interpolated throughout the main text are short parenthetical explanations of particular points under the headings "tips" and " notes" to tell you "why" in addition to "what" and how." There are also many longer mini-tutorial boxes that appear under six headings: Frequently Asked Question; Power Users Clinic; Up To Speed; Troubleshooting Moments; Gem In The Rough; and Workaround Workshop.

The book's early chapters cover things like using menus, finding lost files, reducing window clutter, and desktop "re-decorating" options. Mr. Pogue goes on to explain the purpose of every single item in the System Folder, the Apple Menu, and even the Apple Extras Folder. Other topics covered are local area networking, and remote access to your Mac when you're on the road. There are also instructions on how to use Mac OS 9's Multiple Users feature, the enhanced Sherlock II search engine, and of course configuring Mac OS 9 for the Internet.

As with the Steinberg book, there is no bundled software CD-ROM included with Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual. A note inside the back cover explains that not including the CD knocked $5 off the price of the book. Instead, every piece of add-on software mentioned in the text is available on the Internet at http://www.missingmanual.com (click on the Mac OS 9 link).

In summary, David Pogue's "Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual" delivers on its promise to be "the book that should have been in the box." Particularly if you are in Mac novice, this book will be well worth the modest $19.95 expenditure. And even if you are in Mac veteran, you will probably learn enough about those 50 new Mac OS 9 features to make it a worthwhile purchase.

To order Mac OS 9: The Missing Manual, visit:
http://www.oreilly.com
or email order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938

For more about the Missing Manual Series, see:
http://www.missingmanual.com/

For an interview the author conducted with himself, see
http://www.missingmanual.com/interview.html

For a sample spread of a "Missing Manual" see:
http://www.missingmanual.com/sample_spread.html

For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macosmm/

Charles W. Moore

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Saturday, 22-Nov-2008 05:43:39 EST