Rating: 
Summary: David Weeks MyMac.com Book Review
Review: Here is a brief summary of some of the Unix topics covered:Unix file management basics
Command line software installation and troubleshooting
File system operations including permissions and groups
Process management including pipes
Command line applications (Lynx, telnet, FTP, rlogin, ssh, pine, emacs, lpr, etc.)
Environment and shell variables
Installing and using XFree86
The section on Network Administration has good fundamentals on AppleScript, Perl, PHP, MySQL, as well as intermediate and advanced level tips on how to work the the all-important NetInfo database.
Some of the best OS X info includes printer and font management, especially how to install and configure LPR printers, which can be something of a black art, or so I am told. Personally, I would not know an LPR printer if I tripped over one in the hallway.
The last sections are devoted to learning the Unix applications included in OS X: the Apache web server, Sendmail, WebDAV, PHP. There is also a smattering of info on CGI programming. While both Apache and Sendmail have thousand-page tomes devoted to them, Ray and Ray provide enough detail for the Mac-centric OS X user to get a feel for the power of the Apache web server and the Sendmail application. While anyone can turn on Apache in the System Preferences, Apple provides virtually NO guidance or instructions. Unleashed will at least provide you with a good grounding in Apache basics. Ray and Ray discuss proper care and feeding of FTP sites is provided as well.
I generally do not like book reviews to be mere recitations of the various subjects covered. But I felt it important to show how much valuable information is contained in this one book! But raw information is of no use if it is not intelligently presented. The authors' writing style is crisp and to the point, and the example provided are relevant to real-world Macintosh computing. Too-small screen shots are my only objection to the production values. If publishers could figure out how to use paper that weighs less without sacrificing durability, then I would be even happier. This book is ponderous enough that it is difficult to hold in your lap to read. I had to lay it flat on a table to manage it.
Beginners should NOT waste their time and money on Mac OS X Unleashed. Buy Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. instead. But for those who want to learn about Mac OS X-oriented Unix, warts and all, this book should be at the top of your list.
Just be careful to watch your posture when you pick it up.
MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5
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David Weeks
http://www.mymac.com/weeks/unleashed_8.26.02.shtml
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for Mac power users
Review: "Mac OS X Unleashed" is a terrific book, emphasizing the powerful Unix underpinnings of Apple's new operating system. The book provides a thorough tour of OS X (up to date with 10.1), especially the arcane world of Unix networking administration, with chapters on important topics like NetInfo, installing a Samba server, and detecting and preventing hacker attacks.
The authors Ray bring decades of Unix system administration experience as well as a deep love of the Mac, and they have written an outstanding book bridging the two worlds, introducing Mac users to scores of useful Unix-based tools included in OS X or available on the Web. The book is broad and deep (and at more than 1400 pages, heavy) and is an essential reference to getting the most from Mac OS X. I highly recommend it for technically proficient Mac users.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for Mac power users
Review: "Mac OS X Unleashed" is a terrific book, emphasizing the powerful Unix underpinnings of Apple's new operating system. The book provides a thorough tour of OS X (up to date with 10.1), especially the arcane world of Unix networking administration, with chapters on important topics like NetInfo, installing a Samba server, and detecting and preventing hacker attacks.
The authors Ray bring decades of Unix system administration experience as well as a deep love of the Mac, and they have written an outstanding book bridging the two worlds, introducing Mac users to scores of useful Unix-based tools included in OS X or available on the Web. The book is broad and deep (and at more than 1400 pages, heavy) and is an essential reference to getting the most from Mac OS X. I highly recommend it for technically proficient Mac users.
Rating:
Summary: Just so much information! Always a first-hand reference.
Review: I think I can agree with what all the other 4 and 5 star reviewers gave this book. It has the most information put into one book I've ever seen. I've used it to help with setting up Apache and serving actual websites from home with PHP and MySQL, email server, DNS, shell scripting, PERL, and more.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to the people who say it's a bad book. Sure, it's probably not the best book to reference if you're new to computing, but the stuff in here isn't so advanced that nobody can do it. The authors are very clear with instructions.
I'd definitely recommend getting this book and using it as a primary reference because with 1400+ pages, the chances are this book mentions what you need to know at one point or another. Then, if you still need help, you can take what you've learned (or read) from this book and do some internet searches to see if you can't further your knowledge with a few technical websites that may go into more detail on the subject. Then, if you still need more help, you can buy a book written specifically on the topic you need help with.
Rating:
Summary: Good book!
Review: It is heavy book for very advanced folk only. If you like to dig deeper it is te book. it is not a book for everyone ether. Nice reading. I like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy ANY Mac book besides this one & you'll be better off!!
Review: I paid retail for this Mac OS X Unleashed book; honestly it was the worst book purchase I've ever made. Ignore every other comment about how helpful it is - it's meant for a SUPER POWER USER who is fluent with every Mac principle in every other Mac book; this book is too advanced for even an intermediate Mac user! In other words, it's an impossible read. Pick any other Mac book and you'll do fine! Only 1-2% of Mac users will find this book helpful. Not to mention, it weighs a TON and if you did understand this book - it's an awkward size and hard to hold. I will never buy a book from this author ever again. I highly suggest "Mac OS X The Missing Manual" - beleive me, the title says it all - where is the real Mac OS X manual? Obviously David Pogue (author of Missing Manual) cornered the market on that one! I've purchased many Mac OS X books in the past, and this book (Mac OS X Unleashed) was the WORST. I returned it to the store immediately. Hit the "back" button on your browser NOW - it's just that bad!!! Good luck finding a different book! :-)
Rating: 
Summary: A massive reference
Review: Mac OS X Unleashed is not a pocket guide. It's more of a massive tome than anything else - at over 1500 pages, it's probably the heaviest technical book I own. (And that's including Deitel & Deitel's C: How to Program, which is weirdly weighty for its size.) Since Mac OS X Unleashed describes itself as "a complete guide and reference for Mac OS users", my biggest question when approaching the book was whether this is in fact the case. It seems like if you're going to shell out for an OS X book of this size and price, then it should ideally be the only OS X book you'll have to buy.
What I liked: there's no shortage of good things about Unleashed, but the best is probably that the authors assume, for the most part,that you already know how to use your computer. Although there are many good books out there for those new to Macs, this is not one of them and does not try to be. That means that if you've already achieved a basic working knowledge of Mac OS, there's still well over a thousand pages of information intended especially for you. However, I can understand that many people do want the basics in an OS X book. Still, I personally don't really see it as a problem. If there's one thing I've never needed a book for, it's the iApps. In fact, I've always found it irritating that other OS X books spend so much time on them. But that's me, and I'm not everyone.
There were several sections of the book that surprised me, including the chapter on web programming. It makes sense, though - the book is intended to "unleash" OS X, after all, and OS X does come with an Apache installation (even if System Preferences calls it Personal Web Sharing). Given that every OS X box has a webserver, it makes sense that many OS X users would want to know more about related topics. In fact, the chapters that focus on system and network administration comprise a pretty thorough introduction to the BSD side of OS X, and were fairly impressive. These were my favorite sections of the book, probably because they're topics rarely dealt with - or at least rarely dealt with well - in Mac books.
What I didn't like: the book suffers from some minor issues typical of most massive technical volumes - it's informative, but also dry, dense, and not terribly readable. Also, while I appreciate the depth and scope of the book, it's a little unwieldy. This isn't something you'll be reading in bed or on the subway. These problems are neither hugely important nor terribly surprising, but they're also not inevitable - reference texts can be thorough without being dull, it's just that this one happens to be both.
Probably the only other real complaint I have with the book is that at times it seems as though it can't decide who its audience is. As I mentioned above, one of the things I liked about Unleashed was that most of the book seems firmly aimed at the intermediate to experienced user. And yet if that's the case, then the chapters that cover things like Desktop Accessories (Calculator, Clock, Key Caps) seem out of place. It doesn't seem like the introductory material offered in the book would really be enough to serve as a tutorial for an absolute beginner (as evidenced by complaints like the one I quoted earlier), but at the same time it's difficult to figure out who else would need it. However, I'm not suggesting they skimped on advanced topics to squeeze in inappropriate Clock coverage - if there's one thing this book has, it's plenty of everything.
The bottom line: I believe that Unleashed does live up to its title, and does a good job in the process. It's not an introduction to OS X - it's about getting more out of your system after you've already learned the basics. It doesn't (usually) try to be a beginner's book, but a quick-learning novice would probably do fine with it, and any moderately experienced Mac user will probably find that it serves his or her purposes effectively and efficiently. If given the choice (and funding), I'd probably still go with a couple different books, but I think Unleashed has in fact reached its goal of being a complete guide to OS X. You could do just fine with only this book, and at its price it may be cheaper than buying a couple smaller books separately.
Rating:
Summary: Especially good for those with a UNIX background.
Review: The executive summary is this: if you only want to buy one user manual for OS X, it should probably be this book... especially if you have some amount of UNIX background.
The first 11 chapters cover the basics about the OS and offer some tips and tricks for customizing the interface and simplifying certain tasks that are a bit opaque out of the box (like ejecting the CD on a mirror G4 when you're using a keyboard that doesn't have an eject button). Fairly conversational in style, this portion of the book is an easy (and worthwhile) read.
Chapters 12 through 18 cover the BSD sub-system. If you are in need of a quickie UNIX refresher course, then these chapters are just about perfect (including some 30 pages on csh scripting). If you're completely new to the UNIX shell and commands, these pages may be a bit of a whirlwind to you.
Chapters 19 through 32 are an even faster paced romp through just about all of the major open source technologies and some of the NeXT technologies you'll find under the hood of OS X. From NIS/YP to the Netinfo database, from using tar and pipes for copying directories to a 20 page introduction to PERL programming, from configuring NFS and Samba to compiling and installing Apache plug-ins, from ShoutCAST MP3 streaming to firewall configuration... this book covers it all. Want to compile the latest version of MySQL? It's in there? Want to set up a POP server or configure sendmail? It's in there. Want to interact with an ActiveDirectory via LDAP? It's in there. Want to configure your X window manager? It's in there. Want to learn how to embed PHP into your web pages? It's in there. In fact, the end of the book reads pretty much like an intermediate Linux administration manual.
The book's easy style, step-by-step guided examples, and the support and errata provided on the companion website ... make it an easy recommendation for me.
Rating:
Summary: The best OS X book I've seen
Review: I've never written a review on Amazon before, but the quality of this book moves me to do so. So many Mac books assume that because you use an operating system with a sophisticated and easy-to-use interface you must therefore be a computer newbie who never wants to be exposed to anything complex.
But this book assumes no such thing: the authors give hard-core, practical advice on the innards of OS X, focusing in particular on the UNIX core. This is one of the best computer books of any kind that I own, and I find that I never need to touch other books on the subject.
If you're looking for a book that says "this is called a mouse" and tells you where to find iTunes in order to click on it, or drops the bombshell that command-p will print in many applications, you don't need this volume, but if you want to get your hands dirty, it's an excellent resource
