Mac OS X in a Nutshell Author: Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek, and Chris Stone Pages: 826 Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates ISBN: 0-596-00370-6 Review Date: 2 Sept, 2003 Reviewed by Chris Henderson

When I picked up the new addition to the O'Reilly library I was excited to devour as much information as possible. With great anticipation I decided to read the book from cover-to-cover. What a mistake. Trying to stay awake while remaining focused was not an easy task. My enthusiasm for the book quickly dwindled, my desire to read the entire book vanished altogether.

Three months have passed since, and so has my first impression. There is a reason the book is called "A Desktop Quick Reference." Although I have never made it through cover-to-cover, I have read it section by section. It has spent very little time on the shelf. With the aid of the book, I now have Apache up and running, I have my own CVS repository, and I'm currently working on my first AppleScript. This resource has proven so useful that I'm constantly retrieving it from other Mac users who have lifted it from my office.

The authors, Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek, and Chris Stone, have been consistent with the Nutshell series' goal of giving the reader what they need to know in as few words as possible. At the same time, they have covered topics which are useful to beginners and advanced users alike. In my opinion, it is a great book to add to any Mac user's library. It's a definite two thumbs up.

You can purchase Mac OS X In A Nutshell at O'Reilly.com or at Amazon.com.