Meet my new favorite book! A few weeks ago I purchased my first Mac and made the brave "switch." I'm being sarcastic; I had used a Mac before, so it wasn't like I was diving into something completely new and foreign. Still, I was planning to replace my five-and-a-half-year-old PC laptop and I wanted to make sure everything was just right, which is why I didn't hesitate to buy one of those big ol' tech manuals to go along with it -- and I'm quite satisfied with my MISSING MANUAL.
Granted, I didn't do nearly as much research on a manual for my new computer as I did in picking the computer itself, but I knew that I wanted something thorough that wasn't condescending. I recognized the author's name from his New York Times columns, and I liked how encyclopedic it was -- the very thorough index, the bold section headings, the fact that there weren't eight chapters on how to turn it on but I could get to "All I see is the beachball and I can't force quit!" within 30 seconds. I own a few "Idiots' Guides" and "...For Dummies" books, but when it comes to my laptop I wanted to feel like I was at least partly in control. (Ha!)
I realize this is kind of a niche review, but I really liked this book for what it was. I'm thinking about picking up a copy for my dad when his office switches to Leopard. I've barely scratched the surface of what I can do with my new machine, but at least I know I'll have something to bail me out should I accidentally push the "Delete Everything, Then Taunt User" button.
As for the new computer? Holy mackerel, technology sure has improved since 2002.
