Rating: 
Summary: Worth Every Penny!
Review: First I would just like to say that I never write reviews on anything. I have read many computer-based books to date. I have some certifications in Microsoft products so I have read thousands and thousands of pages of technical information. This is just some background information to give you an idea of where I am coming from to help you in your decision. I will most likely use poor spelling, sentence fragments, and bad grammar! Never the less this is a book review not an English paper.Every once in a while something catches your eye and you have to tell others about it. This is one of those something's. This is an excellent book for new and seasoned users of the Mac OSX. It is extremely easy to read and refer back to. The chapters are not dragged out for page after page of information so deep that you begin to forget what it was you were learning about or that you cared. I think most technical books think they get better by cluttering tons of information onto a page and then dragging the book out an addition 3 or 4 hundred pages. This book gives you a small introduction of each topic and then gets right to the point. I have to say that most technical books that I have read I actually check sometimes to see how many agonizing pages are left in the chapter. This book is actually a fun book to read. It's even large enough in terms of physical size so that the book can stay open on the desk beside you while you try this stuff out on your Mac. Most books you need a couple of C clamps so you can clamp the book edges to the desk to prevent the book from closing on its own while working through the information. This is a great book to keep next to you at all times so while your working on your MAC and you have a question about a particular topic you don't have to waste any time. I praise Robin Williams for creating a book that can give me the information that I need and get to the point. Most books attempt to leap tall buildings in a single bound and on the way up open each window, search the entire floor, lock all the doors, turn off all of the lights, empty all of the garbage cans, then shred all of the paper, set the alarm, and then lock the windows on the way out. That's all fine and good but I have a full time job. This book knows that when you have such a long way to jump and many more buildings to leap that you just want to get to the other side. Why didn't I give it a 5? The book itself deserves a 5 and I would have given it a 5 if it had a CD that came with the book that had the entire book in an Acrobat file. This would help while on the road and make searching for key words and such a little easier and faster. This is not a complaint by any means; just a suggestion to make the book just a little bit better in the next revision I usually purchase at least 3 or 4 books on each topic I read about however this book has given me exactly what I was looking for so now I can move on to the next building to leap over. I would have given it a 6 if I could put the book in a blender, mix it with my favorite ice cream and fruit, then drink it down and absorb all of the information. Figure that one out and I'll be the happiest person alive. I hope this helps others in their decision making process while deciding what book to purchase with their hard earned dollars. Thanks
Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners
Review: First of all, let me say that I am not a computer whiz, though neither do I approach every new computer task with trepidation. Before I got this book, I had been able to install OS X, and to operate it for a couple of weeks. So I was looking for some pointers on how to extend my skills and knowledge of the new OS. I can't say I got quite what I was looking for.
This is a great book, if you are a total Mac and/or computer novice. If you're familiar with basics like icons, menus and the like, you'll find a lot of filler in this book. That's not to say that it doesn't have some useful stuff for the intermediate level user (like I consider myself to be) but the majority of the book is apparently targeting a different audience.
I'm now sending the (still mint condition) book to a friend who only recently decided to take the plunge and to get himself a computer at home, and who wisely opted for a Mac.
Rating:
Summary: Robin Williams MAC OS X Book jaguar Edition
Review: Good Book. Even though I bought a MAC when first brought out, I am not a techie and it provides good backup for the manual. I refer to it frequently.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: I am a great fan of Robin Wliliams' books and I think I own every book she has published. This book has the same strengths as her others. She presents information in English, not tech speak, and makes it much simpler to understand, e.g. for the first time I now know how to tell a crossover from a straight ethernet cable. Some may say it is too basic, but while I have found the transition to X not very difficult, I have picked up a number of tips I would have missed. She also covers things not covered elsewhere, notably iTools and has a major discussion of iTunes. Williams uses lots of screen shots so you can compare her picture with what is on your screen. While some may consider it mundane, another strength of her books are the indexes. This one doesn't disappoint--as always, it's very thorough and her use of bold titles makes it much easier to find things. If you are a power user and want to know about terminal and how to use UNIX, this book won't help, but if you are a beginner to intermediate user, GET THIS BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: Try David Pogue's "Missing Manual for OS X, second edition"
Review: I'd like to recommend a different manual, since this one is just not shipping when it should... If you really want to get going with OS X v 10.2.x, go instead with David Pogue's Missing Manual for Mac OSX, second edition. It's incredibly well written, jam packed with useful and FINDABLE help, appropriately humorous, and best of all, it will actually ship when you order it!!! I have ordered several manuals for the mac updated to OS X Jaguar. All have arrived EXCEPT THIS ONE, (Robin Williams') even though I ordered it Dec. 18th, and the info says it's available! This book was supposed to be released Dec. 20, and mine hasn't even shipped yet! (08Jan03) I would, instead, recommend David Pogue's "Missing Manual" for OSX, second edition, which is a GORGEOUS encyclopedia of knowledge of the full capability of Jaguar. I haven't found a question yet that Pogue's "Missing Manual" hasn't addressed fully, unlike the Jaguar ed. of the Little Black Book, which often didn't even begin to address problems encountered with very common procedures, like setting capabilities for different user accounts. I had to go to Apple Tech Support, because I didn't yet have Pogue's "Missing Manual," which actually, was even more helpful than Apple's tech support!! If you really want to rev your new Jag, go with the Missing Manual for Mac OSX, second edition. As I said above, it's incredibly well written, appropriately humorous, and best of all, it will actually ship when you order it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Only buy if you are an absolute beginner
Review: If you are an absolute beginner with Mac Os X and really NEED to habe a book by your side then this might be the book for you. Otherwise is not a little book at all, is huge, but it is so because it goes through basic things with endless descriptions and screen captions. Things that could be explained in just 2 pages in this book go on for 6. Besides that I really need some sense of humour on the book (that's what I liked about Christopher Breen's Mac 911)
Rating:
Summary: The Little Mac OS X Book
Review: If you are not familiar with OS X and you want someone to take you by the hand and teach you all there is to know about OS X this is the book. Ms. Williams took me by the hand with my first iMac three years ago and she did it again. The best part is that she shows you pictures in the book that actually show up on your computer screen. I have never had a question that I could not answer from some part of the book. She covers it all!
Rating: 
Summary: out of date
Review: Only goes through OS 10.1 & 10.2 has many changes.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing and useless
Review: Poorly organized and no clear target audience. Save money and trees.
Rating:
Summary: Robin Williams Mac OS X Book or The Missing Manual?
Review: REVIEW: ROBIN WILLIAMS MAC OS X BOOK Robin Williams Mac OS X Book Jaguar Edition is probably the best book to recommend to a new Macintosh user with little or no prior computer experience. It describes how to use Macintosh OS X simply and clearly, and tells the new user what results to expect. It does not, however, talk down to new users. If an example shows a document, the content of the document shows some creativity and class. A follow the dots tutorial skips around so the new user can learn the essentials in just 186 pages. The dots are half circles that bleed to the edge of the page so they are easy to find, and the information is still organized so that you can find it later with more advanced information on the subjects. A beginner who completes the 186 page tutorial will have a better base for using a Macintosh than many more experienced users. In sports, coaches spend a lot of time going over the basics, the fundamentals, even with professional athletes. Robin Williams Mac OS X Book Jaguar Edition provides thorough coverage of the basics that will improve the performance of any user. I have twenty years of experience with Apple computers, am probably an intermediate user, and have read other Mac OS X books, and Robin Williams Mac OS X Book contained many very useful ideas that were new to me. An example of the thoughtful instructions for beginners, "When you see and instruction like Command + Shift + B do not type the pluses." An example of something I had read before, but not used as I should, in any finder window view you can quickly go to and select an item by keying the first few letters. An example of something new to me, you can create a new icon for a file and the Macintosh will adjust the image size to fit. The Robin Williams Mac OS X Book contains clear easy to understand information about Mac OS X features such as the login process and login options. I like the way Robin writes and makes a friend of the reader. I liked Robins description of the font collections available in programs written specifically for Mac OS X not for both Mac OS X and OS 9. "Whoever made up the names for these collections certainly did not know anything about type." Following her directions and examples, I have reorganized my collections. I have recommended David Pogue's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual to all kinds of readers, as I am sure many other user group members have done. But, after reading Robin Williams Mac OS X Book, I would recommend it as the first choice for new Macintosh owners without a lot of computer experience. I still recommend David's book as the first choice for experienced users. It is worth buying both books, or at least reading both from your user group library. I own Mac OS X: The Missing Manual Second Edition(by David Pogue published by O'Reilly) and would not part with it. I have ordered my own copy of Robin Williams Mac OS X Book using the Peachpit Press user group member discount. ..
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