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Apple Books Media Businesses Book Reviews

Mac OS X Hints 182

Posted by timothy from the psssssst-do-this-instead dept.
emmastory writes "Mac OS X Hints is a brand-spanking new O'Reilly book containing over five hundred 'power tips' and tricks for (amazingly enough) Mac OS X. The tips are culled from the website of the same name, written and maintained by Rob Griffiths. The book is edited by David Pogue, of Missing Manual and Pogue Press fame. It's 461 pages, list price is $24.95, and the O'Reilly catalog page (containing samples from the book) is right here." Read on for emmastory's review.
Mac OS X Hints
author Rob Griffiths
pages 461
publisher O'Reilly/Pogue Press
rating 8
reviewer Emma Story
ISBN 0596004516
summary The perfect sequel to the Missing Manual, this book contains 500 tips for OS X

Addressing the Obvious

The most immediate question I had when I heard that O'Reilly would be publishing a book containing hints from macosxhints.com was, of course, Why I should get the book when the hints are already on the site for free? Both the author and the publisher also thought of this, understandably enough. Here's how Rob Griffiths answered the question in a post on the site, when the book was first announced: "The book isn't just a 'cut and paste' job from the site-to-print form. Every hint was rewritten and retested from scratch, and hundreds of screenshots were added to help clarify and explain the hints. In addition, many of the scripts and programs posted here are included (the author of each program was contacted for approval to include their original work in the book -- thanks to each of you for agreeing!)."

The response included in the O'Reilly press release for the book is along the same lines: "'The 500-plus hints in this book are based on tips published in the Mac OS X Hints web site,' explains Griffiths. 'But it's not just a rehash of what's there. Every hint has been rewritten, expanded, organized, indexed, tested for compatibility with the latest version of Mac OS X 10.2, and in many cases, illustrated, making the book an even better resource than the web site."

So the question then becomes: is this really the case? Are the differences between the hints as posted on the site and as printed in the book really significant enough to merit shelling out $24.95?

The short answer is that, in my opinion, the book is worth its price. The long answer is (predictably) a little more complicated. There are, of course, people who are more than willing to do the extra digging on the web to get the relevant content for free -- they'd rather do without the little perks (increased readability, revision, testing, screenshots) than spend potential beer money for a glossy O'Reilly book. And that's fine -- I'm more than sympathetic with this position, being frequently hard up for beer money, myself. But of course there are also people for whom the convenience is just as important as the cost, and who consider the price of the book well worth it in terms of the time saved. If you fall into the former category, don't bother buying the book -- but then, you weren't going to buy it anyway, were you? As for the latter group, rest assured that your investment will not, in this case, be wasted.

What I Liked

I've read several other books on Mac OS X. The one I believe everyone should start with is still David Pogue's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual . If you've already read this book (and enjoyed it) or didn't read it but are confident you've already got the equivalent experience, then Mac OS X Hints is a good next step.

Griffiths assumes you're comfortable using OS X for basic tasks: he doesn't tell you how to log in, or what the Dock is. If you're fuzzy on those kind of basics, you're not quite ready for this book (but you're positively crying out for a copy of the Missing Manual). Additionally, he pushes some not-entirely-obvious processes to the introduction, so you don't have to read the same instructions over and over in the meat of the book itself. After all, once you've been told the first time how to view the contents of a package, you're probably all set in that regard. This is one of the aspects of Mac OS X Hints that I found most appealing, actually - Griffiths just explains in the beginning that he's assuming certain things, and then doesn't bother dumbing anything else down.

I've been a fan of macosxhints.com since I first installed OS X, but it seems like Griffiths's style has really improved for the book -- this may be a function of Pogue's role as editor, as the writing in Hints displays the same familiar, comfortable tone while not skimping on depth or details. Like other books Pogue has been involved in, this one is highly readable but not oversimplified.

It seems like the revision process the hints went through during their transition from site to print has been pretty successful, as well -- despite being familiar with the site, there was a great deal of material in the book that I had never seen, even after reading other OS X books. Additionally, the testing involved in the book's creation removes a great deal of the frustration inherent in the site. As much as I like the site, there have been several hints that have mysteriously declined to function on my own system for whatever reason -- but everything I've tried from the book worked without a hitch.

I also enjoyed the fact that this book, like Mac OS X Hacks , is made for sampling. Each article is short and to the point, and while related hints are grouped by chapter, no single tip depends on the reader having already performed one of the others (unless otherwise specified). You don't have to read the book cover to cover -- you can flip around at will without getting lost.

Incidentally, another plus is that 15% of all Griffiths's profits from this book are being donated to the Doernbecher Children's Hospital. That in itself isn't a reason to buy the book, but it's good to know.

What I Didn't Like

If I can be nitpicky for a moment, I was bothered by the frequency of purely typographical errors. Little things like "than" being used instead of "then," or the bottom edge of a line in a sidebar getting cut off. It didn't keep me from enjoying the book, and I'm sure it's the sort of thing that will get corrected in future printings, but this sort of error occurred often enough that I noticed it, anyway.

Another little thing: I wish URLS had been included whenever a third-party shareware program was mentioned. Of course I know I can Google for DragThing and find it immediately -- but if I'm paying for a book, it seems to me that I shouldn't have to.

There is also the fact that this book is undeniably a book, and that limits it in certain respects (at least when compared to the site). The index is comprehensive and useful, but it's just not as useful as the ability to search the entire text of the book. It's also inevitably dated to a certain degree -- new hints posted to the site, even if they're infinitely more fabulous than ones already present in the book, just won't show up in print for a long time to come. Similarly, if a new version of the OS breaks one of the hints, you'll be able to find out somewhere on the web, but it won't be immediately obvious when you're just reading the book. Of course, these are problems shared by all print technical books, and not just Hints.

One final note: there's a lot of overlap between this book and Mac OS X Hacks, although each book has a significant amount of unique content. If you own one, you probably don't need to get the other, but it's difficult to say which I'd buy if I had to choose. Hacks contains only 100 articles, but they're more in-depth and the tasks they cover are often trickier or less obvious. Hints contains over 500 tidbits, but they're much shorter and often deal with things like key commands that allow you to increase your efficiency, and things of that ilk.

The Bottom Line

If you're the sort for whom time is at a higher premium than money -- maybe you're the kind of person who would buy a boxed *nix distribution instead of downloading it -- then I'd say go ahead and get this book. It's well worth its price as long as you understand that what you're paying for is ease of use and reliability, as well as content. If, on the other hand, you're living on Top Ramen for the foreseeable future, you're probably better off sticking with the site. If you do buy it, I think you'll find it will make a happy addition to your bookshelf -- stick it next to the Missing Manual and dip into it whenever you're sitting through an install or reboot.

You can purchase the Mac OS X Hints from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
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Mac OS X Hints

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  • Too late? (Score:5, Funny)

    by jtrascap ( 526135 ) <bitbucket.mediaplaza@nl> on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:42AM (#6161384)
    Is it me, or do these books always come out 3 months before a new version of the operating system comes out??

    • Re:Too late? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Shenkerian ( 577120 )
      I agree. I was going to pick up the 10.2 edition of Mac OS X: the Missing Manual in May after reading some glowing reviews, but I didn't because I intend to [purchase|get for free] Panther when it's released. Granted the book most certainly won't be irrelevant to 10.3, but it will be outdated and replaced shortly after with the 10.3 edition of Mac OS: the Missing Manual. Probably shortly before 10.4 is set to release.

      Oh hell, maybe I should just get the book now.

    • There is still no commercially availible book for Mac Server 10.2.......
    • ...hasn't this book BEEN REVIEWED on slashdot before? I mean, another O'Reilly plug never hurts, but still.
      • No, that was OS X Hacks, not Hints. Similar, but different (Hacks has only 100, somewhat more involved articles, to Hints 500 hints).

        Next Week: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Which is darn spiffy, IMHO, the best of the 3)

        • Re:Not only that... (Score:1, Offtopic)

          by siskbc ( 598067 )
          No, that was OS X Hacks, not Hints. Similar, but different (Hacks has only 100, somewhat more involved articles, to Hints 500 hints).

          M'Bad. Those O'Reilly guys need more unique titles for people like me with Attention Def...hey! What's that over there! ;)

  • Hmm (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Gortbusters.org ( 637314 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:43AM (#6161388) Homepage Journal
    Another little thing: I wish URLS had been included whenever a third-party shareware program was mentioned. Of course I know I can Google for DragThing and find it immediately -- but if I'm paying for a book, it seems to me that I shouldn't have to.

    That's a bit of a downer. The popular misconception about Macs is that lack of software. You'd think a book that aims to show you the true power of the MAC would lead you to every little cool piece of software for it.

    Perhaps some day when jobs are stable I'll shell out the moola for a powerbook. Until then, linux thou art my savior.

  • Ill get it out of the way (Score:5, Funny)

    by ihatewinXP ( 638000 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:43AM (#6161394)
    Tip 1. Throw apple mouse in trash, plug in 2 button scroll wheel.

    Now can we have an intelligent conversation?
    • 2 button? those are so 90's ( or 80's perhaps ). most have 5 buttons including the scroll wheel button functionality. my mouse uses the other two for forward and back web browsing. windows doesn't use the wheel click for anything by default it seems. i agree though, the mac mice are rather thoughtless.
      • Actually, Windows does use the scroll button, and its rather handy. If you've got a massive virtual area in the window, its much easier to click it and scroll the contents by moving the mouse around than just wheel for the next 10 minutes because its a popular /. story (for example).
        • somehow this doesn't work in my mozilla, maybe it's a mouse thing or a setup thing or a software issue. at any rate, i think i i know what you're referring to. clicking the scroll button in ie can bring up a up/down arrow and you can scroll by moving the mouse.

          personally i don't like having a mouse that's so far from my keyboard. any movement to the mouse after typing is cumbersome. anyway. go apple and this good ole' book on tips!
      • I use the middle mouse button in Mozilla to open a link in another window, just as Netscape has done for years in *nix. Aside from that, you can "drag-n-scroll" using the middle mouse button, which can be useful.
    • And if the apple mouse is built into your laptop, I guess throwing the mouse in the trash includes throwing the whole laptop in the trash.

    • Re:Ill get it out of the way (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      well, after one too many times that my fat fingers (I have big hands) pressed the middle button on my mouseman (paste in X), pasting GOD KNOWS WHAT into my mutt session, having to go over to the laser printer, turn it off to stop the stream of emails from mutt (what did I paste, http://pepperonipizzapie.com ???), sending follow-ups to folks (sorry, I don't know WHY you got an email from me with "ttp://hot-nude-grannies.com" in it .. must be a new linux virus), and undeleting messages (no, I must've pasted h

    • > Tip 1. Throw apple mouse in trash, plug in 2 button scroll wheel.

      That's fine and dandy until your applications must assume that its users have no more than one mouse button. On Windows/KDE/Gnome, developers can assume the user will make use of the second mouse button and design functionality accordingly.

  • Still typos? Did it come with pdf version? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by numbski ( 515011 ) * <numbski&hksilver,net> on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:44AM (#6161399) Homepage Journal
    Those are the two big questions in my mind. I've submitted [macosxhints.com] a few hints [macosxhints.com] myself.

    If there's a PDF version, then it should be searchable, making it FAR more useful.

  • As an Avid Mac User. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:45AM (#6161407)
    I dont see the need for this to be posted as a main slashdot headline. I would put in under the apple section. Unlike some other things that is Apple related but is also of an interest to Non apple users that should be placed up in the main section.
    Well Goodbye Karma.
    • Well, if MacOSXHints or (more likely) O'Reilly is paying for the mention, that'd be one reason to put it on the front page.

    • Re:As an Avid Mac User. (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      So... what? You think you're an editor now? Do you send letters to the New York Times saying, "As a New Yorker, I don't see the need for this story to be on the front page. I would put it on page 3, below the fold."

      I'm sick of you fuckin armchair editors.
      • Well, I'm sure if the New York Times got many complaints, then they'd do something about it, maybe even replace the editor.

        Armchair editor? The whole idea of an armchair whatever is when a person doesn't do something, eventhough they talk about it all the time. In this case, it's unfair, because he can't be an editor at slashdot. If he was at kuro5hin.org, then you could call him an armchair editor.

        This guy thinks there is a problem, and it's the part of the point of disscusion forums to be able to brin

  • Some OSX Books in pdf format here (Score:5, Informative)

    by The Slashdolt ( 518657 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:45AM (#6161410) Homepage
    Some OSX Books in pdf format here [mac.com].

    P.S. I just bought a new Power Mac(1.25GHX x 2) and I love it! Install an X windows server and you can run just about any existing X app. Really impressive.
    • A couple useful docs on that page, thanks for the link.

      Side note - I've had my TiBook for about a month, now. When I launched Ethereal for the first time at work, there was a moment of awe among my coworkers.

      Plus, all the graphics guys I know went crazy. "Wow! A real computer geek - who has a Mac? That's fantastic!" Apparently, their experience with Mac users has been an "you're either a designer or Nick Burns [geocities.com]" kind of thing.
      • Ethereal? that's funny, that's the exact app I used to see if the setup was _really_ working. And sure enough, ethereal popped up captured some traffic, not any problems. I'm amazed by the stability of things in OSX. In linux I would get the occasional app the would crap out on me. I have yet to have an app crash on me and I've tried just about everything I could get my hands on. I'm truly impressed.

        Not only that, I was able to install JBuilder on OSX thanks to this link [alofmethbin.com]. So far I am extremely pleased(exc

  • url's in a book are a waste of time (Score:4, Insightful)

    by mark_lybarger ( 199098 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:46AM (#6161419)
    first the reviewer says that he wants url's in a book because he's paying for the book and shouldn't be bothered with google, but then he says something along the lines of "if you're the type of person who values your time"... well, google is much faster than a flip through reference manual where you have to type in the result yourself. make it even faster and learn to use mozilla's type ahead feature. get away from that silly mouse sitting so far away from the control panel ;).
    • I agree that deep links should rarely, if ever, be included since they have a high probablility of disappearing down the road.

      However, I think it's good when they include links to resource web sites. For example, planetsourcecode.com might totally overhaul its pages down the road, but the main page/URL will likely be there for quite awhile, and it's a good resource that may or may not be an obvious hit in Google.

  • Solves the Catch-22 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ThesQuid ( 86789 ) <a987@@@mac...com> on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:50AM (#6161456) Journal
    I for one love the website. But I'd also love to buy the book, being that occasionally I'll run up against a knotty problem that prevents me from getting online to check to see if there is a solution. The site tends to have a lot of really neat obscure things you won't find easily anywhere else.(yes, in true geek fashion, I have multiple machines, they just aren't always available)

  • judging a book.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by leekwen ( 677248 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:51AM (#6161458)
    the cover of the book is a picture of a cover of another book.

    what the hell? mod this -1 redundant!

  • dump the caps lock (Score:2, Interesting)

    by archen ( 447353 )
    Anyone have a reliable method of changing the caps-lock key to a control key on an ibook? I've tried some utility and messing with some various settings but obviously I'm not getting it right. It's easy to do on FreeBSD and Linux; a pain to do on Win2k (but do-able) - now I'm just missing my Mac.

    • Re:dump the caps lock (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      did you try google (lazy ass) uconrol [gnufoo.org]
    • you need uControl [gnufoo.org]. You're welcome.

  • "Amazingly enough"? (Score:1, Interesting)

    by JessLeah ( 625838 )
    The story notes that this book is about power tips for Mac OS X, "amazingly enough". As a Mac OS X user, this is upsetting... it seems to me that the poster finds it unusual or ironic that ORA would release a book of "power tips" for OS X?

    For one thing, they've released countless books on Windows (and I remember the times when their only books on MS issues were the "(X) Annoyances" series). For another thing, OS X is actually quite a serious system. Have you used it? Try it, it's Neat(TM).

    I used to ru
    • I believe the poster was making a small joke that a book titled "Mac OS X Hints" was (obviously) about Mac OS X. I don't believe his intent was to imply that a book about power tips for Mac OS X was an amazing thing.

    • Re:"Amazingly enough"? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by larien ( 5608 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @12:01PM (#6161540) Homepage Journal
      *sigh* the comment is there because a book called "MacOS X Hints" gives hints about, surprise, surprise, MacOS X!

      It's nothing to do with the fact that ORA printed it.

      • Thanks for clarifying my sarcasm - that's exactly what I meant; I didn't realize it could be interpreted differently, but in retrospect I guess it could be read either way. (Thanks, also, for not referring to me as "he".)

    • As a Mac OS X user, this is upsetting...

      I think the reviewer was just trying to inject a little humour, read that sentence again. It was a joke, i.e. of course a book entitled Mac OS X Hints is going to contain hints about Mac OS X, what else would it be expected to contain?

    • The story notes that this book is about power tips for Mac OS X, "amazingly enough". As a Mac OS X user, this is upsetting... it seems to me that the poster finds it unusual or ironic that ORA would release a book of "power tips" for OS X?

      Euh no, the poster finds it funny that anyone wouldn't be able to figure out that the hints are about OS X since it's in the NAME of the book.

  • Oreillynet has some examples from the book. I didn't really find any of them worth paying for, especially when you can just surf to macosxhints.com.

  • Just wondering (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mental_telepathy ( 564156 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @11:59AM (#6161527)
    I love macosxhints.com, it has helped me out a lot when I get stuck (Getting syslog working on OS X got a lot easier with a hint). But does anyone else think it's odd to publish a book made entirely of user-contributed content?

    A lot of people contributed time and energy to make that site better, free of charge.

    • Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Interesting)

      by larien ( 5608 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @12:03PM (#6161564) Homepage Journal
      And, as the review states, work was then done to make that content better. If you're happy working with "raw" hints in a myriad of formats, stick with macosxhints. If you want a consistently laid out resource, get the book.
    • Every hint author in this book was contacted for approval. No one's stealing from anyone or plagarizing anyone else's work.

      Rob also did a MASSIVE amount of work in the process of going from what's on macosxhints.com to the book. It took a long time to write and revise. And revise. If the content of the book doesn't convince you, go ask the guys in #macosxhints on irc.krono.net.

  • Impressed that the Hints are not just for newbies (Score:3, Interesting)

    by anakin513 ( 653341 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @12:21PM (#6161713) Homepage
    I flipped through his book and was impressed to see that the hints where not just aimed at newbies. There where some nice back-end changes that you could make (the kind I like to make) if you have some experience with BSD already and are not afraid of terminal.

    I don't know if I'd buy it though, since I do have enough skill to find all the hints on the site, without the pretty screen shots and all. It is a great book if you're on the cusp of getting deeper into how OS X works and getting the most out of your Mac.
  • "If, on the other hand, you're living on Top Ramen for the foreseeable future, you're probably better off sticking with the site."
    That fancy Top Ramen is too rich for my blood. I'll take the generic store-brand equivalent, please.

  • Can it compete with itself? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Dak RIT ( 556128 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @12:30PM (#6161793) Homepage
    I visited MacOSXhints.com frequently when I first started adopting MacOS X (when it first was being brought to market), and I found it quite useful at the time. However, as I became more proficient with the OS itself, I've found that I rarely visit the web site now. Upon doing so recently, I also felt the new hints being published daily simply weren't as intriguing as they first were. Many of them had little to do with the OS itself, except for perhaps listing hardware or software that was now compatible and how to use it.

    I haven't read the book, although I would imagine a fair number of the hints published are from earlier in MacOS X's lifecycle. This would be good to help new users adopt to the OS, although with all the hints available online for free (with a decent search engine attached), is there really enough incentive for people to get the book as well?

    Cheers.

    • Re:Can it compete with itself? (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Yeah agreed, I learned a lot of stuff from that site (and I know when I get a new Mac I'm going to have to go back and remember all the obscure things I changed).

      But I do get annoyed these days at these types of hints:

      Activate Pop-Down Command Lists
      by I.M. Moron

      I just discovered this cool feature of Mac OS X: across the top of your screen are a bunch of words, if you click on them, you can see a list of all the different commands the program supports, along with key combinations to get them! What a

    • I've actually found quite a bit that is worthwhile on MacOSXhints. I subscribe to the RSS feed and usually find two or three topics a day that range from moderately interesting, to very cool.

  • Given the BSD core of OS X, I wonder:

    1. man man
    2. See 1
    3. See 1
    4. ???
    5. Profit!
    • You'd think. But lots of stuff doesn't have a manpage, and many of the others seem to be straight from BSD and thus don't correspond perfectly to the MacOS X versions.

      I really wish they had the same committment to manpages as, say, the FreeBSD project. Mac Help just doesn't cut it! And the Apple Developer site is hopelessly cumbersome.

  • The reason I bought it... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dr00g911 ( 531736 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @03:05PM (#6163578)
    I bought the book primarily because I use Rob's Site [macosxhints.com] constantly and he's had a very plain policy on no advertising to put any of his editorial into doubt on the site.

    The guy has a full-time job, he's got one of the best resources on the web to help with under-the-hood OS X action, and he's got principals I happen to dig. He also busts his ass on the site.

    I bought my copy of the book to support him, period. I've got several more on order now to give as gifts to friends who are making the transition (art director and photographer types) who could use a guided tour under the hood of OS X that doesn't make them feel like morons or *cough* 'Dummies'. Let's face it -- the dummies, missing manual and like books are made for grandma. I'm trying to show these guys all the cool new stuff you can do once you peek under the hood to get them excited about the change instead of dreading it.

    Just the simple fact that his site has a way to re-enable Sendmail within a day or so of a patch that cripples it is enough for me -- I've gotten my money's worth out of the osascript stuff already as well.

    I'll happily spring for the Panther/Smeagol (dual personality?) version once it's released as well. It's the least I can do.

  • Interesting note about some tips (Score:5, Informative)

    by inkswamp ( 233692 ) on Tuesday June 10, 2003 @03:56PM (#6164137)
    What I find curious about a lot of OS X hints and tips is that they require simply toggling a preference setting in some given .plist file. (For you non OS X-types, the .plist file is an XML config file in which applications and various system processes store their settings.) It's funny that Apple set up so many preferences/features that they simply never put a convenient UI on.

    The most interesting one (one that I use myself and one that I believe is shown on the example pages on the O'Reilly site) is the entry in the com.apple.Dock.plist file that allows you to specify that hidden applications should appear as transparent icons in the dock. I find that kind of visual feedback useful and cannot image why Apple would have created such a feature and then fail to include a simple checkbox to activate it in the dock preferences pane.

    Weird. And there are quite a few hints like that. Enough that programmers routinely release software to put a GUI on them. (Tinkertool and several Safari-related apps come to mind, but there are several others.)

  • You know Pogue Mahone means kiss my ass, I like the idea of a Pogue Press....

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