» Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition (Missing Manual)

Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition (Missing Manual) Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Wish I was still missing this manual
Comment: Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition (Missing Manual)

This manual does a much better job of pointing out the differences between Microsoft and Leopard but does little to help someone making the switch from one platform to the other. It's a good thing I paid for Apple support and not depended on being able to get a manual to help me implement the changes and processes I need to work on Apple.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: PC to Mac manual
Comment: Purchased this manual to make the transition from PC to Mac easier since NO written instructions come with computers anymore and wanted some insight as to different keystroke commands and translation of what Apple calls programs, files etc. in one source. All-in-all, the book did just what I expected, and as a bonus, it is a pretty good introduction to what comes with an iMac and how to get the most from it. I also had a couple of programs that could only run under Windows and book provided pros and cons of various options. Again, all info that is out on the Web someplace, but nice to have in hand. I think the index could be a little more comprehensive. I also don't mind the 'you just saved 5 bucks' ploy by including a web site URL instead of a CD in the back of the book. 4 out of 5 because the index is wanting and some topics could be explained in more depth than simply restating the obvious.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hits the intended target
Comment: As a switcher, I really appreciate this book. It focuses on the needs and typical concerns of the PC to Mac switcher, both by way of basic Mac education as well as comparison, and packs in a tremendous amount of content.

I have to fault the book on its publishing flaws, however. While the approach and content hit the mark, it really does appear somewhat thrown together - not so much in layout or flow, but very much so in editing. Were the errors few they would be a nit. Unfortunately, there are enough to present a level of irritation, hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Still, currency is of the essence in computer technology titles. This book will require a refresh when Snow Leopard is out, for example. As best I can tell, the content is up-to-date for Leopard, and the book very nicely addresses the needs of the here and now in spite of its flaws.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good hand holder
Comment: Like an astronaut or a high wire circus artist, I leaped from my semi-secure base of PC where I lived for 26 years into Mac World. I always wanted to be snob . This book was as good as I can imagine lacking an inhouse patient, in-house tech person. The most horrible part of the move was and is the mail program which is hysterical, erratic and malicious...but that's not this good book's fault.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Update of my Tiger Edition review
Comment: After using the Tiger version of Mac OS X (10.4) for a couple of months, I updated to the Leopard version (10.5) and obtained the Leopard edition of David Pogue's book from O'Reilly. Because of the new features in Leopard, this edition has expanded from 515 pages to 590 pages.

Although I expected to find a short section listing all of the new features introduced by Leopard, its absence is not a serious problem. These lists can be found on the Internet and then printed for reference.

This edition of the book follows the same chapter layout as the Tiger edition and includes all the very helpful features for anyone switching from a Windows-based PC to an iMac or MacBook. In addition to continually taking the PC-user's viewpoint in every section, there are chapters and sections especially designed to ease the transition. The most helpful for PC users are:

Chapter 1 - How the Mac is different

Chapters 5-7 - Transferring files, emails, contacts, etc. from your PC and also, Mac capabilities for replacing specific Windows programs

Appendix B - Where Did It Go? You'll find yourself referring to this useful appendix often to quickly find out how to do all the things that were second-nature on the PC, e.g., Ctl-Alt-Delete to `kill' stuck programs, shutdown, zipping/unzipping files, taskbar & system tray, favorites, and much more.

It you are switching from a PC to a Mac running Leopard, you'll love this book. But if you already have the Tiger edition and just want the Leopard content, then you will benefit more from purchasing the more comprehensive (almost 900 pages) Mac Leopard OS X: The Missing Manual, 2007, which is also by David Pogue.

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