Last updated 3/07/2006

Mac OS X Panther Hacks

Mac OS X Panther Hacks
Authors: Rael Dornfest & James Duncan Davidson
Publisher: O'Reilly
588 pages ..... $29.95
ISBN 0-596-00718-3
100 Industrial-strength Tips and Tools

Mac OS X Panther Hacks is written by Unix and other Mac experts who have customized and modified their hardware and software, or have adapted third-party applications to fit their exacting needs. Advanced users who are not afraid to use a little code to tweak the way they work will enjoy this book. If you are interested in using Applescript, Perl, or Python, this book is probably for you.

The hacks are arranged by category: graphical user interface; scripting; web, chat, and mail; multimedia; gadgets and hardware; networking; servers; files and backup; and system administration.

Intermediate users may find some hacks of interest. Early in the book there is a comparison of third-party alternative launchers, QuickSilver and LaunchBar for those who want to try something other than the Dock. There is a hack on building your own Konfabulator widget, so you do not have to wait for Tiger to experience widgets.

There is a clear description for using Carbon Copy Cloner for backups, and of some backup strategies, and an interesting coverage of normal maintenance. There are even some simple hacks such as auto-completion of words in TextEdit (option-esc), and using Preview's Full Screen mode to read eBooks.

Very few hacks are carried over from the earlier mac OS X Hacks, and the absence of earlier references to hacks to provide the old Mac OS 9 features are an indication of the acceptance of Mac OS X.

For more information or to order go to:
http://www.oreilly.com