Switch to the Mac With Ease

O'Reilly has Released "Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition"

Tired of fighting spyware? Frustrated by the constant barrage of ever-more-persistant viruses? For these reasons and others, both neophytes and die-hard Windows PC users are turning to the Mac in increasing numbers. Some have security concerns, others are simply beguiled by the undeniable "cool" factor of a computer that operates, looks, and feels as slick as your iPod. And with the advent of the 500 Mac mini, price is no longer an obstacle for those considering making the switch to these elegantly designed, reliable, and user-friendly computers.

While warning that a Mac isn't just a Windows machine in a spiffier box, the authors of the book simplify the switch and accelerate the learning curve with a guide that delivers what Apple doesn't - everything you need to know to move painlessly to the Mac.

Authors David Pogue (creator of the Missing Manual Series) and Adam Goldstein (17-year-old whiz kid founder of GoldfishSoft) admit that switching to the Mac is not "all sunshine and bunnies." The Mac is, as they say, "a different machine, running a different operating system, built by a company with a different philosophy - a fanatical perfectionistic/artistic zeal. When it comes to their missions and ideals, Apple and Microsoft have about as much in common as a melon and a shoehorn."

Pogue and Goldstein's guide to the Mac OS X "Tiger" operating system confronts the similarities and differences head-on, with straightforward explanations and more than a little humor. "Windows refugees" will quickly become comfortable with the new features and capabilities of their Macs. For those who are adding a Mac to their computer repertoire, they'll show you how to get the two computers talking over a network, sharing an Internet connection, and working with each other's files.

"Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition" begins with a crash course in Mac essentials, including all the nifty features you see when you turn the machine on, and continues with sections on making the transition to the Mac as smooth as possible:

• Moving In: how to haul your software, settings, and even peripherals (like printers and monitors) across the chasm from the PC to the Mac. It covers the easy parts (copying over documents, pictures, and music files) and the harder ones (transferring email, address books, buddy lists, etc.).
  
• Making Connections: where to find your Internet settings on the old Windows machine and where to plug them in on the Macintosh. It demystifies Apple's Internet software suite - Mail, Address Book, Safari, and iChat.
  
• Putting Down Roots: how to become a Macintosh power user. You'll learn how to set up private accounts for people who share a Mac, navigate the System Preferences program, and operate the 50 free bonus programs that come with Mac OS X.
  
• Two appendixes cover troubleshooting and installation and provide a "Where'd It Go?" dictionary of where to find familiar controls in the new Macintosh environment. A third appendix explains standard Mac keystrokes.

Tackling their subject with evident relish and good humor, Pogue and Goldstein explain the hundreds of innovative features of the Mac OS in a clear, down-to-earth and funny fashion, so you too can enjoy "Switching to the Mac."

[Why this information on the ISB site? Well, switching to Mac can be considered a security measure in itself. This is not because Mac software is necessarily more secure than Windows software but because there are a lot fewer Macs than PCs, hence the bad guys don't pay as much attention to them - one kind of 'security by obscurity'. Apart from this the sheer pleasure of using a Mac instead of an XP machine is a serious productivity-boosting factor. The 'Aqua' GUI on a Mac is head and several sets of shoulders above XP - though it has its quirks... (and, yes, this was written on a Mac :-)). If you enjoy real computing just dive underneath the GUI and you're in UNIX - absolutely brilliant! --Ed.]

Related links: (Open in a new window.)
www.oreilly.com/catalog/switchmacmm2/

Taken from Information Security Bulletin.