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Rating: 
Summary: 12-Step Degunking Program
Review: A Mac computer, like all computers, will begin to slow down over time. This the natural result of the computer hard drive being loaded down with the cyberspace debrie that inevitably accumulates as the result of unused applications, bloated fonts, unread emails, etc. Mac expert Joli Ballew shows any Mac user how to quickly and easily "degunk" their computer, cleaning out whatever is reducing the efficiency of their computer and also making their computer secure from hackers and viruses. Degunking Your Mac shows how to streamline file systems to work faster and more efficiently; reduce hard drive clutter (including uninstalled programs); clean out spy ware and adware; simplify the Mac setup to boot quickly and cleanly; degunk email and reducing, even eliminating spam; tweak and upgrade applications so they no longer crash. If you own a Mac and feel that it is not operating at peak efficiency and speed, then give a careful reading to Degunking Your Mac with particular attention to it's 12-Step Degunking Program for obtaining and maintaining optimal operations!
Rating: 
Summary: Review correction
Review: I have not read this book, however I do read reviews to help me decide whether to buy, and I feel compelled to temper another reviewer's one-star review by pointing out errors in the review itself.
Steve Scholnick's review states that Mac OS X uses a file's resource fork rather than its filename extension to determine what application to use to open a file. While this used to be true, filename extensions are now relied on to determine the opening application. Mac OS X does have the ability to HIDE filename extensions, which may make it seem that they are not necessary, but they are. (Try sending a file without a visible filename extension as an email attachment to a Windows or another Mac OS X user and ask them what happens).
He also states that CuteFTP is a Windows-only FTP client. Actually, a quick check of a Macintosh shareware website reveals that a Mac version has been available since 2003.
His final comment about there not being the need to run defragmenting software against a Mac OS X hard drive is correct. Mac OS X has defrag routines built in that run in the background and when new software is installed.
I wish I could submit this review without a rating, since I haven't read the book. I'll give it three stars, being the closest thing to a neutral rating as I can manage.
Rating:
Summary: Practical Mac maintenance information
Review: If you are having troubles with a slow Mac, you are finding your Macintosh is file system unmanageable, or are having virus problems then you will want to take a look at this book. The book is filled with practical, introductory level, advice for how to clean, and more importantly, organize and maintain your Macintosh. There are lots of good suggestions. Even if you think you know the Mac well you will likely find some references to applications and extensions you haven't seen before.
I recommend this book for anyone using the Mac full time. The content is unique and the advice is practical. Though I would certainly look the table of contents over to make sure that you will get enough out of it to justify the purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea...
Review: There are plenty of books and television shows on keeping your home, life, etc organized, why not a book on how to keep your Mac organized? That's exactly what this book sets out to do. While quite a bit of the information could be categorized as common sense, there are still a lot of useful tips and suggestions that will help you "degunk". The author points out that a lot of the ideas behind keeping your computer "gunk-free" have less to do with technology and more to do with psychology. I.e. You have to want to keep your computer "degunked". The basic idea is this: a well organized Mac runs better and faster than one full of "gunk". There are great suggestions on how to free up disk space, how to deal with spam, and why or when to add hardware. However, the text occasionally seems to lack a bit of polish and a few suggestions seemed a touch odd to me. For example, the suggestion, "If you use an iPod regularly, create a folder on your desktop (or an alias to your Music or iTunes folder) so that you can access those files quickly." Overall, the book is a great idea - with plenty of room for future editions to build on the "degunking" process. If you are looking for ideas to help you organize and "degunk" your Mac, I'd definitely give it a look.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea...
Review: There are plenty of books and television shows on keeping your home, life, etc organized, why not a book on how to keep your Mac organized? That's exactly what this book sets out to do. While quite a bit of the information could be categorized as common sense, there are still a lot of useful tips and suggestions that will help you "degunk". The author points out that a lot of the ideas behind keeping your computer "gunk-free" have less to do with technology and more to do with psychology. I.e. You have to want to keep your computer "degunked". The basic idea is this: a well organized Mac runs better and faster than one full of "gunk". There are great suggestions on how to free up disk space, how to deal with spam, and why or when to add hardware. However, the text occasionally seems to lack a bit of polish and a few suggestions seemed a touch odd to me. For example, the suggestion, "If you use an iPod regularly, create a folder on your desktop (or an alias to your Music or iTunes folder) so that you can access those files quickly." Overall, the book is a great idea - with plenty of room for future editions to build on the "degunking" process. If you are looking for ideas to help you organize and "degunk" your Mac, I'd definitely give it a look.
Rating: 
Summary: A Copy of the Windows Version of this Book?
Review: There are some really blatant errors in this book. Here are some examples:
<ul>
<li>It states that CuteFTP is the best FTP client for MacOSX. CuteFTP is a Windows only application.</li>
<li>It states that MacOSX determines the application to open based on a file's extenstion. No sorry wrong again; it uses the resource fork.</li>
<li>The book recommends to regularly defrag your hard drive. While not as blatant as the others, this claim is still wrong, you really never need to defrag a MacOSX's hard drive</li>
</ul>
Rating:
Summary: This is "Fluff" or "Gunk" for your bookshelf
Review: This book is sparse on substance. Most of it is is filler. I have net to find anything that is a useful. A subhead on page 17 sums it up "It's Psychology, Not Just Technology!". Almost no technology, in this case. I was looking for discussion of unnecesary speed sapping processes that sometimes get going on under OSX. The book doesn't even mention processes.
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