by Russ Aaronson

3/30/04

There’s something reassuring about an old-fashioned, paper manual.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m as much against wasting paper as any other Nader voter, but sometimes you just need a manual. I love the fact that Google is a part of my life, and I know that the word “Help” will probably always hover in a Mac’s menubar, but there are times when it’s much simpler and faster to reach past all those Philip K. Dick novels and grab a book from the shelf to answer a question.

But I don’t want or need ten, five or even two books on any given subject. In fact, when it comes to something like a manual for an operating system, I’d just like one. And that one book needs many qualities to earn its limited space on my shelf:

1) It must be clear, without dumbing things down or pretending to be my best friend
2) It needs to present useful information on a wide array of topics
3) It needs a killer index
4) It needs ample illustrations, but not those silly, full-color prints that only raise the cost of the text
5) It can’t have any “bonus” chapters contained on an otherwise useless “Bonus CD!”
6) It should reward browsing by revealing the occasional new tip or technique
7) It should be well-written

Given these criteria, it should come as no surprise that when it comes to Panther, David Pogue’s The Missing Manual: Mac OS X Panther Edition wins pride of place on my bookshelf.

I say it comes as no surprise because Mr. Pogue has either written or co-authored the desert-island book for every Mac OS I’ve worked with since I bought my first Mac (a Performa 6400 running 7.5). Before he teamed up with O’Reilly (the people who print those computer books with all those different animals on the covers) to found Pogue Press, and his aptly titled Missing Manual series, Pogue leant his cozy, lucid style to earlier editions of Macs for Dummies and The Macintosh Bible. Regardless of the title or publisher, Pogue’s name has become synonymous with the best of Mac journalism in specific, and quality how-to writing in general.

So how can I justify such lavish praise for Pogue’s latest (and heaviest) book? Let’s use the list from above.

1) Clarity
Clarity isn’t all about style, though I’ve read a number of tech writers who have clearly tried to ape his style, with varying degrees of success. The reason why this book will probably work for you is its organization. Chapters move in a logical sequence, from basic know-how in early sections to more specific, more advanced topics later in the book. Appendixes contain information about installation and “Where’d it go?” details for Windows switchers, preventing the rest of us from wading through materials for very specific audiences and purposes. Couple these facts with the various special information boxes liberally sprinkled throughout the book (bearing headings like “Power Users’ Clinic, “”Gem in the Rough,” and the ever popular “Nostalgia Corner”) and you have a manual which also manages to convey a sense of how some things got the way they are now, and where they might be headed in the future.

2) Useful and Varied
Since I first received the book, I’ve discovered helpful information on topics ranging from Single User Mode, to Open Firmware Passwords, to Rendezvous printing. This edition also adds coverage of the famous iApps (but don’t get too excited – Pogue and O’Reilly need to sell their books on those programs as well – so coverage tends toward the basics), while relegating comparisons to OS 9 to the Appendix (apologies to my faithful Performa).

3) Indexing
Put simply, the index was clearly created by someone who actually uses a Mac. If you’ve used Apple equipment for a few years, you know what it feels like to read help files or tech support created by or for predominantly Windows equipment or environments. Everything reads like MapQuest directions that were created by someone who’s never even seen the city on a picture postcard.
If none of what I just said made sense, then at least you now know what it feels like to use a crappy index.

4) Illustrations
Nearly every other page of this book contains a black and white screenshot that clarifies the accompanying text. You wouldn’t want to frame them and set ‘em up on the mantle, but they do the job. Color prints are pricey, and they rarely make things easier to understand, so I’m perfectly happy here.

5) The “Bonus” CD
The inside cover of every Missing Manual title contains information about the “Missing CD.” The claim here is that the Missing Manual website contains links demos and downloads of every piece of software mentioned in the book, and you save five bucks on the book by not having to pay for a CD loaded with freely available stuff.

I find this change to be refreshing. Even a few years ago, packaging CD’s with computer books made perfect sense. Now, fast downloads are increasingly common, and even my poky 56K connection allows me to snag pretty much anything I need with little fuss. Besides, this book already costs about thirty bucks: any greater expense would push it outside of the budget of most casual Mac users and likely discourage seasoned Mac fans as well. And, again, there are no “hidden” chapters on the CD to contend with. Joy!

6) Browsing Bonus
This is my favorite reason for buying an actual book instead of relying on electronic support. Whether you’re using Apple’s Help, searching the Web, or sifting through a PDF manual, the visual experience is pretty crummy. The tendency is for readers to just find what they need, and get back to something far less painful.

Through its special information boxes, and even the text itself, browsing a Missing Manual always reveals something new or interesting. It may sound silly, but at least you feel like you’re always getting a little more than what you came for.

7) Well-written
Ok, so this is largely a matter of opinion. Just as Rick Steves claimed to actually enjoy London cuisine in his otherwise superb travel guide, you may feel otherwise.

Despite the accolades, there’s still some room for improvement. The troubleshooting section (which has been relegated to the appendix) seems a bit anemic, especially when you consider the fact that many people only buy computer books when something goes terribly wrong with their systems. The price is also a bit steep for a beginner book, but it’s hard to complain about spending thirty bucks for almost nine hundred pages of useful information. Finally, this edition was released just before Apple gave us iLife ’04, so there’s nothing on Garageband (a Missing Manual is due shortly) or updates to the rest of the suite.

This last point raises the whole question of whether you should even bother to purchase a paper manual for a .3 release of system software. Admittedly, this sounds preposterous to the notoriously cheap angel that sits on my right shoulder and holds my credit card when I walk into an Apple Store, but the tech junkie devil on my right shoulder has a good argument. As I’ve upgraded to newer systems and newer hardware, some of my old books have become rather useless to me. My answer is to give those books to people who can still benefit from the information. In fact, I can personally verify that my old Jaguar Missing Manual and my older Macs for Dummies are both in regular use where I work, saving me the time and frustration of untold tech requests each and every day. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

For my money, Mac OS X Panther Edition: The Missing Manual is a better investment for your Mac than at least a third of the software I’ve reviewed. It’s well worth the price of admission, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll get the next edition when Apple decides which cat to name it after.

And if anyone in Apple development is reading this review might I suggest the name of one of my cats: like Screamer, or Creepy Girl, or Big Head?

Product	The Missing Manual: Mac OS X, Panther Edition
Company	O'Reilly
MSRP	$29.99
Hits	Comprehensive guide for beginning and intermediate users. Well organized and well written. Covers every iApp and some Unix. Killer index. Possibly the only Panther book you'll need.
Misses	A touch pricey. Lacks information on new iLife '04 suite. Weak troubleshooting section.
Rating	(5 possible)
Requirements	Mac OS X Panther

Russ Aaronson

English Teacher,Pompano Beach, FL