Press releases

Newest Mac Book Fathoms the Depths of Mac OS X: O'Reilly Releases "Mac OS X in a Nutshell"

Press release: February 4, 2003

Sebastopol, CA--Mac OS X is a stunning technical achievement--a virtually crash-proof Unix core paired with the sleek Aqua interface, bringing style, usability, and stability to a new level. It has almost everything that Macintosh fans have craved: protected memory, crash resistance, and the ability to run the 18,000 existing Mac programs and an unlimited supply of Unix and open source software. An instant success among longtime Apple users and developers, the new Mac operating system is becoming the system of choice among serious Unix users as well. There is plenty of territory to explore in Mac OS X, and O'Reilly's latest "In a Nutshell" book, Mac OS X in a Nutshell by Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek, and Chris Stone (O'Reilly, US $34.95), offers all audiences--longtime Mac users and converts--the most complete guide to this remarkable operating system.

In the tradition of O'Reilly's In a Nutshell series, this new title offers a thorough treatment of Mac OS X version 10.2, from its BSD Unix foundation to Aqua, the new user interface. The book's "Unix Command Reference" is the most complete and thorough coverage of Mac OS X Unix commands you can find anywhere. Each command and option in this section has been painstakingly tested and checked against Jaguar--even the manpages that ship with the system can't compete in accuracy. The reference incorporates the new command-line tools that come with Apple's Developer tools. The book familiarizes readers with the Finder and the Dock, file management, system configuration, network administration issues, and more. Later chapters include bonus material for the Unix user, including advanced use of the Terminal and how to configure a DAMP (Darwin, Apache, MySQL, Perl/PHP/Python) web publishing system. Other topics covered in the book include:

  • Detailed information on virtually every command and utility available on Mac OS X Jaguar

  • Advice and documentation on system configuration, with extensive coverage of the System Preferences and use of the Finder and the Dock

  • An overview of basic system and network administration features, including coverage of NetInfo and Directory Services

  • Hundreds of tips, tricks, and clever ways to do familiar and not-so-familiar tasks

  • Instructions on installing the X Window System and how to build and run BDS Unix applications

  • An overview of Mac OS X's Unix text editors, including vi and Emacs

  • An overview of CVS, the concurrent version system

  • Information on shell syntax and variables for Mac OS X's default user shell, tcsh

"Mac OS X in a Nutshell" follows the common-sense O'Reilly approach, cutting through the hype and giving readers practical details they can use every day. Serious users who want more from their system will find everything they need to know systematically documented in this book. It provides a wealth of knowledge for anyone who wants to make the most of Mac OS X.

Additional Resources:

Mac OS X in a Nutshell
Jason McIntosh, Chuck Toporek, and Chris Stone
ISBN 0-596-00370-6, 801 pages, $34.95 (US), $54.95 (CAN), 24.95 (UK)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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