Rating: 
Summary: Including troubleshooting & security precautions
Review: Now in a substantially revised and expanded second edition which is updated for OS X v10.2, Mac OS X is a comprehensive and definitive guide which offers a straightforward tutorial on everything to do with the OS X operating system for the Macintosh including troubleshooting, security precautions, installation, networking, data recovery and much more. Screenshots, thorough examples, and easy-to-follow, step-by-step, expert instructions fill the pages of this first-rate, confidently recommended resource and reference.
Rating: 
Summary: For beginners
Review: Other reviews on this book indicated that it was the best book for advanced Unix users. I found it to be the opposite, very little advanced topics, even those that are part of the GUI are covered. OS X for Dummies and Unix for Dummies would be a better choice. I would even venture to say the book is for computer beginners as it actually explains what an icon is. This would be for someone who hasn't used a computer since 1983.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but VERY simple
Review: Recently, I decided to broaden my computer knowledge (I am an MCSE,MCT,MCDBA,CCNA,CCAI,A+ - so my PC and networking skills are there, just no Mac). To better understand Apple OSX I looked at the OSX Complete Reference as well as this text.So far, I am more impressed with this text in terms of sheer depth of information. It doesn't have the programming sections that "OSX Complete Reference" does, but I wonder if that is really needed. From the sections I have read, it seems to provide enough depth to get started comfortably and bring myself up to speed. It is evident that the author understands OSX as the references to third-party tools and references are well placed and valid. As a "how-to-use-it" book I am enjoying it. Next, I'll have to find a text that gets into the internal workings.
Rating: 
Summary: So far this is quite good! I am very new to Apple-land!
Review: Recently, I decided to broaden my computer knowledge (I am an MCSE,MCT,MCDBA,CCNA,CCAI,A+ - so my PC and networking skills are there, just no Mac). To better understand Apple OSX I looked at the OSX Complete Reference as well as this text. So far, I am more impressed with this text in terms of sheer depth of information. It doesn't have the programming sections that "OSX Complete Reference" does, but I wonder if that is really needed. From the sections I have read, it seems to provide enough depth to get started comfortably and bring myself up to speed. It is evident that the author understands OSX as the references to third-party tools and references are well placed and valid. As a "how-to-use-it" book I am enjoying it. Next, I'll have to find a text that gets into the internal workings.
Rating:
Summary: Great all-encompassing book on Mac OS X (10.2)
Review: This book (the second edition) is quite comprehensive and well laid-out. The chapters on the Terminal and on Darwin (chapters 23 and 24) are really good and written with a nod to the traditional Mac user and the traditional Unix user. My only minor negative comment is that the screenshots are in black and white. I understand that color screenshots would increase the printing costs but the Aqua interface is so nice, a black and white picture just doesn't do it justice. However, the lack of color screenshots should not deter anyone thinking of getting this book. It will be a valuable reference to anyone's library.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but VERY simple
Review: This is a book for absolute beginners. This is not a book for anyone who knows anything at all about Macs. Granted OS X is quite different but I have found very little useful information in this book and some of what I found has not been correct (like how to create an alias in the Terminal - what the book states does not work). If you are brand new to Macs and are startiing with OS X this book may be right for you.
Rating:
Summary: David Weeks MyMac.com Book Review
Review: Todd Stauffer's Mastering Mac OS X Second Edition is a worthy addition to any OS X user's personal library. Updated with lots of new information for OS X 10.2 "Jaguar," this book (hereafter referred to as MMOSX2 to save my fingers) covers the waterfront for the intermediate and advanced user. While the back cover bills the book as suitable for users of all levels, I think that the raw Macintosh novice would find this book a bit intimidating, with the section Macintosh essentials being swamped by the huge amount of more advanced topics. Stauffer is exceptionally thorough, with the 804 pages of text covering almost every facet of Mac OS X theory and practice. Rather than recite the various sections from the Table of Contents, you can be assured that almost any question an advanced or power user may have is covered. While not targeted at the hard-core, extreme geek, MMOSX2 does have a good basic introduction to the Unix underpinnings of OS X. Part V Advanced Mac OS X topics spans 100+ pages, and held my attention for page after page. To my mind, the best sections in MMOSX2 are those on networking and cross-platform operations, as well as the two new chapters on troubleshooting system-level problems and typical OS X problems and solutions. Stauffer provides a well-rounded discussion of these topics, which are not often well served by other general-purpose OS X book, especially the troubleshooting sections. Unfortunately, MMOSX2 was a bit hard to read, with text just a bit small for my 46 year-old eyes. While a larger type size would have caused the book to balloon to an even greater page count and greater weight, I would have preferred a larger type size. MMOSX2 is not alone, as other "boat-anchor" books often sacrifice readability for portability. Perhaps the publishers should begin to bundle a pair of cheap bifocals with any book over 500 pages. Mastering Mac OS X Second Edition is clearly a reference book. Stauffer's style is a bit dry, to put it politely, and MMOSX2 will not keep you up into the night, unless you are using it while troubleshooting an OS X problem. But this book is clearly worth buying for its comprehensive collection of OS X information; you'll have all you need in one place on your bookshelf. MacMice Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Rating:
Summary: This is the place to start OS X
Review: While I agree with MacGizmo's review that this is far from complete or with the depth Mac gurus could wish for, I think it is vastly superior to the other books that are out on OS X as of July 28, 2001. For the beginner or experienced Mac person it's ideal: clear and readable, much more detail than all the rest, and very well illustrated. It's extremely well organized, and while each chapter logically builds on the others, yet each can be read independently and out of sequence, thanks to an excellent index (which makes looking up a term or concept quick and easy). My pet peeve with most tech books is sloppy, incomplete indexing. Novels are read start to finish; tech books are primarily for reference. To be genuinely useful, a good index is essential, and Mastering Mac OS X is one of the better tech books at fulfilling this critically important requirement. Most OS X books currently out are simple re-hashes of what one can find in MacWorld and MacAddict magazines, or from Apple's own official "consumer level" information. One has the feeling when reading them that the author just digested a bunch of articles, tried OS X for a few hours (or few minutes, perhaps) and then rushed into print, in hopes of being devoured by the masses starved for more info about OS X. Not so this book. One has the sense that the author has actually USED OS X hands-on, in depth and at length for a considerable time. That some of the trickier, deeper areas of OS X are not addressed is not a bad thing for a book whose primary purpose is to introduce us to the new OS. There will be plenty of books along in the coming months and years to address these issues, mostly topics that are of interest only to techies and Mac professionals. I recommend this book as a starting point for all our clients, at virtually all levels of Mac skills. I wish I had written it. I wish I could write technical stuff this well.
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