Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Based on the reviews of this book I decided to purchase it. No need to rehash what everyone else has written - everything written in the other reviews is completely accurate. The depth & scope of this book is something I've seldom seen in any tech book outside the safe & secure world of O'Reilly Publications - I'm completely stunned.
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Summary: THE Reference Book For Mac OS X
Review: I've read several other books on OS X which left me wanting more. This one covers it all from GUI to UNIX Shell Scripting. This is a must have for anyone who administers or repairs Apple computers.Good job guys, your book is fantastic! -arion
Rating:
Summary: Masterful
Review: This book is a must have for users of OS X. Well written and informative.
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Summary: Actually Useful To The Power User
Review: If you are looking for a book that covers more than what you can figure out yourself by looking at System Preferences, and really gets into the heart of both concepts and tools, this is the book for you. I've seen maybe half a dozen thousand plus page books about OS X, and this is the only one that seems to assume the reader is not a beginner, is willing to delve into the real guts of the system, and wants the real deal without any babying. I've been using the MacOS for about 15 years, but I am new to unix and ready to jump right in, so I needed an all-in-one book that served as both a guide to the new features of OS X, but also went further into the "geek" stuff underlying the system than most all-in-one books seem to cover. Not only does it present loads of info in a succint manner, but it is extremely readable, almost to the point of being conversational. In this respect, it is not just useful, but interesting and engaging as well. I can already tell I'm going to spend a lot of time with this book in the coming years.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive book on MacOS X
Review: This is the definitive book on MacOS X. Aside from programming books that concentrates on either Cocoa or Carbon or RealBasic, this is the book to have. It is an answer to the growing needs for the advanced users of MacOS X who are interested to find out about the Unix that lies beneath MacOS X. If you don't want to know about the Unix aspects of MacOS X, then go to David Pogue. Otherwise, this is the book to get on MacOS X.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for the Unix literate OS X user.
Review: What really intrests me about OS X is the Unix underpinnings. Being able to see the computer underneath and have control over it is what OS X is all about for those who know, and love, Unix. Being a long time Mac user, I was most interested in what OS X could mean. But, being used to Mac, the idea of a "command line" is really alien. The first time I touched a system running OS X and touched the command line with the terminal application, I was sold. Didn't matter that the OS wasn't perfect, that it doesn't support all the software I need, it's Unix, with a Mac interface on top of it. Problem is, how to get used to using a Mac/Unix hybrid system. I combed through a few books, but most of them were light on the technology, and mostly covered things like the dock, the interface, stuff I already understand from using a GUI for 15 years. Then I picked through this book and I was instantly sold. In the over 1500 pages, most of it is dedicated to the Unix portion of OS X. Definately not for the new Mac user, but a perfect book for those who know their way around the Max already, and want to know whats underneath. Covers pretty much EVERYTHING, install options, setup, configuration of the major services, and the real interesting stuff like running a mail server, web server, ftp server, SAMBA server, etc. Highly recommended book for the Unix user who wants to get really into OS X.
Rating:
Summary: Holy cow! Mac OS X users, your book has arrived!
Review: When I received this book from amazon.com, the only thing that initially crossed my mind was, "How many trees had to be cut down to print all these pages!?"
This has got to be the most complete book to date ever written covering the new Mac operating system and it's UNIX based programming. At first, I thought this book was strictly for the "power user." I was happy to see that the first 11 Chapters (about 500 pages), were focused on the beginner and advanced user. After Chapter 11, the book gets increasingly more advanced and caters to the "power user."
This book is a must have for every OS X user. It covers everything! This may be the only book in your library that wouldn't be blown away in a hurricane. If you have any questions or problems in OS X, the odds that this book would have information and a fix for it would be very high.
If this book seems intimidating to beginners, you may want to read my other review on 'another' OS X book.
If you have the time (and the guts), buy this amazing book...we'll ALL be programming in UNIX in no time! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: One of two very good books
Review: I had the luxury of buying several books on OS X recently in an effort to find the right content to get me up to speed on the new OS. The two that turned out to be the most informative were Mac OS X, The Missing Manual and Mac OS X Unleashed. I place them in that order to represent their levels of complexity and coverage. The Missing Manual is a great read on the OS and the new applications. It also includes a section at the end that covers the tcsh shell. But it is definitely directed at the general user. The first ~400 pages of Mac OS X Unleashed covers the basics and then rapidly heads off into the details of the underlying Unix operating system at the heart of OS X. If you are determined to get to the details of what makes your new OS tick then this book should be on your list. From common shell commands to process management, shell scripting, and even porting Unix code. It's all here and well written. One book I strongly recommend taking off your list is Mac OS X the Complete reference. the writing style is not up to these two volumes and the content is too light. I come from the perspective of someone who wrote software for the Mac many years ago and had to leave the platform for career direction reasons. Mac OS X represents an opportunity for me to get back to a platform that combines what was good about the Mac with what is good about a modern operating system. From that perspective, I recommend this book highly. If I had to choose just one, it would be Mac OS X Unleashed. But that is due to my background. Power users that are non programmers would likely be very happy with Pogue's book "The Missing Manual".
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Summary: What Mac OS X: A Complete Reference should have been
Review: This book has the same goal as OS X: A Complete Reference, but Mac OS X Unleashed succeeds. Instead of a painfully long winded explanation of the obvious, this book not only explains the GUI well, but it also provides further insight that makes this section useful to more advanced users. But the real meat of this book (about two thirds of it) goes beyond the GUI. Instead of ACR's pointless overview of Carbon and Cocoa and useless list of terminal commands, this book provides a detailed look into every nook and cranny of this great OS. If you've been waiting for book about Mac OS X from a power user's perspective, this is it. A must for any OS X user who wants to go beyond the basics.
Rating:
Summary: The most thorough coverage of OS X
Review: I browsed through many a book before choosing this one. Hands down the most thorough book on all of Mac OS X's features, including it's UNIX/BSD underpinnings. Most of the OS X books out there seem almost afraid to delve into the UNIX side of MAC OS X, whereas this book delves into X's UNIX core in a very well writtian and well indexed manner that should be very helpful for any user of any level. But, that said, this book would probably be overwhelling to a newbie. I noticed that SAMs also has a book called BSD unleashed, which I assume could also be very helpful for those who want to master the UNIX side of the mac.
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