Rating: 

Then Puma, Mac OS 10.1

Then Jaguar, Mac OS 10.2

Now there is Panther, Mac OS 10.3

Each built for speed and camparatively light compared to an elephant.

However,this December, 2003 book, and only the First Edition, is a

dinosaur of 762 pages. It has 21 Chapters and 6 appendices. The amount of

material rivals The Bible, only this religion is called the Macintosh

Operating System, put together by the Apple Computer Corp.

Although in fact, Panther is a revision or update of the previous Mac

Operating systems called X, it stands alone on its own four dynamic feet.

However, its underneath platform is a basis called Unix, which with the

otherX Systems, separates it from all of the previous ones started by

Steve Jobsand Steve Wosniak in 1984. With his innate sense of humor, Pogue

calls the entire X series “Steve Jobs 1.0 ”, because Jobs originated

and supervised its birth and development by Apple Computer Co.

To explain the need for such a gigantic volume, it covers not only the

latest, but all the previous items in the in Apple’s 10 series. There is

a study of the Dock, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iSync, iDVD, along with the

way to use the new Sherlock, Mail, and Address Book.

For people new to the Mac Computer, this Manual is a necessity. For

people whose new computer started with OS 10.2, this book is very good

reference for the many changes. For those old timers , still secure with

the OS 8 series, this manual is a “must”. Without it their computer

will never get “userfriendly.”This reviewer doubts if anyone can read

the entire book without being hypnotized or frustrated, but it should be

nestled next to their computer ready for instant reference.

David Pogue has world wide reputation as a Mac advocate. Every,

lecture, class, and symposium that he delivers is a sellout. His numerous

Missing Manuals, are well organized, well documented, and are written in

non-technical language that is easy to read. At a publishers price of $29.95

it is a bargain, because to learn Panther, this book is all you need.

Review by Murray A. Massin.

Laguna Woods Macintosh Users Group in Laguna Woods , Ca