AAUG Reviews

by Guy Okada, AAUG Member

Since Apple’s newest operating system was unveiled last fall, bookstores have been inundated with books on Leopard. This book, Mac OS X Leopard on Demand, is one of the best that I have come across. What sets this book apart is the way the author, Steve Johnson, combines screen shots and straight-forward, step-by-step instructions as well as it’s breadth. There is a minimum of text and the emphasis is on helping the reader how to do things in Leopard. Each page is filled with concise information in a consistently organized manner that makes it very easy to follow.

Mac OS X Leopard on Demand is very well thought out . Starting with the Table of Contents, the 21 chapters are logically laid out and each new feature of Leopard is marked with a “New!” designation. Each chapter is color coded with the insert box on each page having the same color as a colored tab in the book’s right margin to help the reader stay organized. Ingeniously, the colored boxes and colored tabs help keep the book organized especially when the book is viewed from the right edge–the colored tabs clearly delineate each chapter.

This book is unlike most other how-to computer books which give the instruction via test. In Mac OS X Leopard on Demand makes nearly every page a different “How To” task. The layout and design makes the instruction very easy to follow. Each page is similarly (more…)

by Kay Vreeland, AAUG Member

The perfect book for someone needing a boost in using Leopard’s new features while still not confident about basic Mac usage, this illustrated manual is a fun and fast way to master the Mac by seeing how it works. The book uses pictures and short text to explain how OS X works now, from the simple first step of navigating the desktop to using Leopard’s top new goodies: Spaces, Cover Flow, Stacks, Time Machine, Screen Sharing, improved iCal and Mail, and Parental Controls for kids’ (or employees’) computer use.

The new and improved iCal functions are thoroughly covered along with myriad other ways of organizing life with Leopard. Even something that should be simple, like using Mail, had long been opaque to me, but the 14 pages on this new Leopard Mail demystified it at last. The too-short and too-promising step-by-step tutorial on using iDisk was still not enough for me, though, since I have failed utterly in backing up to my .Mac iDisk, alas.

Explaining Automator is brilliant, and unexpected since this is a very basic manual. Automator was too daunting to use with the other manuals I have, but this one shows it’s easy! Workflows make sense at last, and none too soon, as I had found other manuals made using Automator sound like programming. The book also shows how to use the Apple Remote, but sticks with using it with Front Row and Apple hardware–a tip that using it with Keynote for presentations, for example, would point the way to other useful remote help. The explanation of installing/uninstalling programs also gives confidence to the newbie.
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