Intended user: Beginner, Intermediate, and
Advanced
What's a tip? What's a "killer" tip? As
Scott explains in the introduction to the Mac OS X killer
tips, it's how to do something--typically something that's
somewhat buried or subtle. He points out that if you
double-click a folder to open it, that's a tip, a lame one,
but a tip. But if you press the Option key while
double-clicking a folder, document, or application, the
containing folder will close as the new item opens. That's a
killer tip. Or maybe not, depending on how long you've been
using Macs and how much you already know.
These are Scott's second and third killer book; I
reviewed his Photoshop 6 Killer Tips
here.
Nowhere in either of these books can one find a sidebar.
That is, a section off to the side of the regular text that
provides some extra information, background (on the
subject), or a killer tip. That's because this entire book
is nothing but the material that would normally be found in
sidebars. Tips are typcially two to a page and a picture
accompanies each tip to assist the explanation.
These books provide an interesting mechanism for learning
either Photoshop or OS X. Neither of them actually "teach"
you anything, but they do provide the mechanisms behind how
to do most any and everything. Like the first Killer book,
they assume you do not need to have explained how to save,
copy, or open items--Scott knows you know how to use a
mouse.
The fun thing about these books is the neat esoteric
facts he has found. For example, did you know that:
- If you can boot up in either 9 or X and restart while
in 9, you can press the "x" key and you will boot up in X
(the reverse doesn't exist).
- You can open web pages in TextEdit.
- How to move your type in Photoshop without changing
to the move tool.
- Command-clicking on a layer's name selects everything
in that layer.
To be sure, most of the tips found in the Photoshop book
are not exclusive to Photoshop 7; some have been around for
quite some time. The catch is that here they are all
together. However, if you already have "Photoshop 6, Killer
Tips," there may not be all THAT much new. In fact there is
a lot new, but whether there is enough may be up to the
reader to determine.
What I found frustrating was when there was a tip without
all the other related tips directly next to it. For example,
for the OS X book on page 80, Scott points out that you can
hide all the other applications you have open by pressing
Command-Option-h. But why doesn't he present the coup de
grace that you can also do the same thing by clicking on an
applications icon in the Dock with the Command-Option keys
pressed.
Anyone who has read my reviews for any time knows I love
redundancy. I love it when there are many ways to do the
same thing because sometimes I find it best to do it one way
and another time a different way. As such, what I would find
wonderful if within these books was if Scott presented a
task and then listed every way to achieve that task and
variations on, or related to that task.
Maybe if he included conditions why you might choose one
way over another.
Maybe in the next killer book.
The big problem with the killer books is
how to organize and/or break down the material to find what
one is looking for? When the book is nothing but tips, it
can be quite difficult to work out a proper presentation of
the information.
Normally, I am a fan of the Table of Contents when trying
to find something. For example, if I'm trying to find
something to do with transparencies, and the Index shows 20
listings for transparencies, a lot of time can be spent
checking each one out. On the other hand, in the Table of
Contents one can see in what context the transparency is
presented in and thus guide the reader to where to find what
he or she is looking for.
Although the Killer books do have a Table of Contents, it
verges on useless. Consider, why you would look in Chapter
5: Killer Web Tips for the tip on "ImageReady's Supercharged
Eyedropper" which, trust me here, has nothing to do with the
web.
Surprisingly, if you want to find anything in these
books, go to the Index. Consider what you find when you look
up (in OS X) "List View." Here you find the sub-subjects
"navigating," "rearranging columns," "renaming files," and
"sorting files." That's pretty easy to figure out where you
might want to look and covers materials in both chapters
"Windows Wonderland" and "Hooked on Classics." As if you
would ever consider going into those chapters to find
anything on "List View."
Lastly, Scott is bent on fun. Consider the title of the
just mentioned chapters. He loves puns and couldn't write a
full sentence without some whimsy if his life depended upon
it. In fact, I sometimes think he writes as he does because
he thinks his life DOES depend upon it.
But like, love, hate, or detest his writing style, he is
full of information. The good news is that he wants to share
his information and we are lucky for it. Not all of these
tidbits of information are jewels and sometimes they even
show up in several places. I'd like to think there's a
better method to present this information, but as it is,
this is what we've got.
There's two ways to enjoy and use either of these books:
first keep them by the side of the computer and when you
feel there might be a better/easier way to do what you are
doing, check it out and see if such exists. Or, keep them in
the bathroom as a fun, fast read so that in short order you
are ready to run out and try all the new neat things you
just read. These are not books you are likely to need, but
you will enjoy and benefit from them.
And, as this review is appearing before Christmas, if you
need a stocking stuffer, either book is a great opportunity
for a neat gift.
