BKMOSXPH.RVW   20050724

"Mac OS X Panther Hacks", Rael Dornfest/James Duncan Davidson, 2004,
0-596-00718-3, U$29.95/C$43.95
%A   Rael Dornfest
%A   James Duncan Davidson
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   2004
%G   0-596-00718-3
%I   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
%O   U$29.95/C$43.95 800-998-9938 fax: 707-829-0104 nuts@ora.com
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596007183/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596007183/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596007183/robsladesin03-20
%O   Audience a- Tech 1 Writing 2 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P   590 p.
%T   "Mac OS X Panther Hacks"

The preface says that this book can be used by both the new and the
experienced Mac user.  The novice probably can get something out of
the text, but it is the advanced Macist who will benefit most.  Even
in the first chapter there are activities requiring the command line,
whereas access to that command line is not really introduced until
Hack #91 on page 496.

There is also some difference in the structure of this work, as
compared to others in the "... Hacks" series.  The "hacks" in this
volume are not very likely to be "hacks" at all, but rather subtopics. 
A given "hack" may simply be discussing four or five pieces of
commercial software that might all address a given function.

Chapter one reviews aspects of the Mac OS X graphical user interface
(GUI).  An awful lot of the content seems to be devoted to installing
outside software: some commercial, some shareware, and some free. 
Various scripts are in chapter two.  Internet communications options
are described in chapter three: again, most of them involve additional
software.  Chapter four outlines a number of multimedia tricks. 
Outside (and some oddball) hardware is discussed in chapter five. 
Random network ideas are collected in chapter six.  Chapter seven
lists some Web and email servers that can be run on your Mac.  Backup
(and other topics) is reviewed in chapter eight.  Administrative
activities are covered in chapter nine.

There is a good deal of material in this book.  There is probably
something for everyone.  The content does seem to lean heavily towards
the "cute but useless," but I suppose that utility is in the eye (or
GUI) of the user.  Possibly the best suggestion is not to expect too
much out of the book, use what you can, and ignore the trivial or
annoying.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2005   BKMOSXPH.RVW   20050724