Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

The missing manuals should be included with every mac sold. I have one for many of it's predecessors.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

Just received the OSX Mountain Lion Missing Manual (only 2 days after ordering online-wow!) and am already finding solutions to problems that an Apple help agent couldn't help me with. I really appreciate the comprehensive treatment and Pogue's patented touch of humor.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

I have recently updated my iMac to iOS X Mountain Lion, and despite all the information that flows here and there on the web, I still acquired digital version of David Pogue's Mountain Lion Missing Manual.

I have become in recent years an avid reader of books published by Pogue. His style is simple, clear, his humor always fine. The Mountain Lion Missing Manual is no exception to the long list of hits from David Pogue.

Easy to read, well illustrated, the various topics are explained by Pogue simply and clearly.

An advantage of the electronic version is that I can read the book on my iPad while I work on the iMac, and find the information I need to complete my work.

I can only recommend this addition to David Pogue's collection, as any of his books as a matter of fact. In terms of reference manuals, you can not ask for more than the Mountain Lion Missing Manual by David Pogue.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

When Apple released Mountain Lion for our Mac's, we knew that there would be no manual, but David Pogue and Oreilly would quickly have a Missing Manual available to help us out, figure out what all the 200 features were, and become knowledgeable. David Pogue has over 3 million books in print, and his accessible series, the Missing Manual's are great resources for he uses a team to create each one, and they are excellent…

We have over 800 pages staring at us with this book, and yet, it was easy to follow and refer back to. When Apple decided to evolve Lion into Mountain Lion, it was more subtle at first sight, yet, each day working on my Mac yields new features, and all are covered by the book. I learn by seeing how things are done, and this book offers many helpful examples as it truly explains a concept. For those not using a smart phone, well after reading this book, you'll be trained on IOS features that are now in Mountain Lion like Notification Center, Reminders, or a new feature called Dictation to make your life easier… Since Mountain Lion now integrates Facebook and Twitter into App's on your Mac, bookmarks are in the Cloud so what you have open in you Mac you'll see on your iPhone too, the book shows how easily it is to use and follow along. Well done!

Deciding which format to get? Well, I've read it on my iPhone, which works well, I've read it as a PDF, least favorite for links don't pop, and on my iPad, beautiful and easy to read with live links. That's why Oreilly gives you choices and combinations and discounts, for the printed word is still valuable, but I found the iPad my favorite over time for I could just carry it along with me and read shortcuts it delivers and then try them. I liked that. And the humor in this book is legendary, really makes Tech fun.

The book is divided into six parts.

One: The OS X Desktop
0. The Mountain Lion Landscape
1. Folders & Windows
2. Organizing Your Stuff
3. Spotlight
4. Dock, Desktop & Toolbars

Two: Programs in OS X
5. Documents, Programs & Spaces
6. Data: Typing, Dictating, Sharing & Backing Up
7. Automator, AppleScript & Services
8. Windows on Macintosh

Three. The Components of OS X
9. System Preferences
10. Reminders, Notes & Notification Center
11. The Other Free Programs
12. CDs, DVDs, iTunes & AirPlay

Four. The Technologies of OS X
13. Accounts, Security & Gatekeeper
14. Networking, File Sharing & AirDrop
15. Graphics, Fonts & Printing
16. Sound, Movies & Speech

Five. OS X Online
17. Internet Setup & iCloud
18. Mail & Contacts
19. Safari
20. Messages
21. SSH, FTP, VPN & Web Sharing

Six. Appendixes
A. Installing OS X Mountain Lion
B. Troubleshooting
C. The Windows-to-Mac Dictionary
D. The Master OS X Secret Keystroke List

I recommend the book to all levels, for it touches basics to advanced features of Mountain Lion is language that we all can understand and use on our Macs. Get it, you'll be getting so much more out of Mountain Lion!

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

*OS X Mountain Lion: the Missing Manual*

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Date: July 2012

Author: David Pogue

MSRP: $36.99 (Street price: $19.00)

ISBN: 978-1449-33027-9

Many years ago, David Pogue was present at Macworld Expo in Boston when an
attendee opened a new software box. The guy was seriously disappointed that
all he got for his money was a CD. This turned out to be Pogue's Eureka!
moment. It was also the birth of the Missing Manual series that now numbers
over 150 books by a diverse group of knowledgable authors. As he says in
his latest book, "It's a good thing you've got a book about OS X in your
hands, because the only user manual you get with it is the Help menu."

In October of 2011, Pogue's OS X 10.7 Lion Missing Manual was published and
now, less than a year later, the OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion version has been
released. This is no small feat; these books are 900 pages in length.
Manuals tend to be bone dry but Pogue's sage wit shines through these
Missing Manual pages, making them easy and fun to read. Entertaining, even.

OS X Mountain Lion: the Missing Manual is not a volume you'll ever need to
read from cover to cover. Rather, it is an indispensable reference that
belongs on your bookshelf so that when an OS X question arises, you'll have
the answer close at hand.

The leap from OS X Snow Leopard to Lion was huge. It presented many new
ways of interacting with the Mac operating system and it heralded the
beginning of the gradual integration of iOS into the Mac OS. The step up to
Mountain Lion this year is more evolutionary and isn't quite so much of a
jump. In fact, the new Mountain Lion book is twenty pages shorter than the
Lion volume—nonetheless, it still weighs in at a hefty 882 pages.

Pogue carefully explains the various installation processes and then
proceeds on to the big, new features of Mountain Lion: Notification Center,
dictation, documents in the cloud, iMessages, Gatekeeper, the VIP concept
in Mail, and more. He covers the basics in uncomplicated, simple terms so
that even a novice will get a clear picture. Even so, he doesn't skip any
of the geekier, power user features such as file-sharing with Windows, VPN
connections, screen sharing, and the like.

I'd like to have seen a few What's New in Mountain Lion pages at the
beginning of the book. For those making the step up from OS X 10.7 Lion
this would be a quicker start. The new features are covered in the index,
but having them discussed briefly as part of the introduction would have
been helpful.

The reason that Pogue's books are so popular is because they're
approachable. Even those who don't usually read manuals will appreciate
these. His books are brimming with helpful hints and tricks that you can
choose to adopt or not. When presenting one of his tips Pogue says,
"Depending on your point of view, this tip is either a shortcut or a
detour." Fair enough.

You simply cannot go wrong buying this book. It belongs on your reference
shelf. Novice or pro, you will learn a substantial amount about your new
operating system from it—and, have fun in the process. Very highly
recommended.

--Curt Blanchard

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

Game Center, iCloud, iMessage, and Notification Center are iOS features, right? Now with Mountain Lion, the latest version of OS X from Apple, they can be found on a Mac along with several other enhancements that bring the operating system closer to the iPad experience. While the latest update makes the Mac easier to use, there are many shortcuts and features just waiting to be discovered. OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual delivers an astounding number of tips and tricks that typical users may never learn on their own.

The author, having written several books covering the Mac over the past decade, knows his way around the operating system and it shows. He exhaustively covers the basics from how to organize files to using the bundled applications. The time-saving methods and buried features highlighted throughout the text make this book a useful reference for both beginners and experienced users. Did you know that by pressing the space bar when a file is highlighted in the Finder, the content of that file can quickly be previewed without having to open an application? There are even ways to access this and other features by using trackpad gestures. Anyone can benefit from learning additional techniques for getting the most out of their computer. Reading OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual has changed how I use my Mac.

Disclosure: Free access to this e-book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual is better than any of the best selling OS X Missing Manuals before it.

Mountain Lion is based upon Lion. The Pogue Press - O'Reilly team was able to bring OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual to us much sooner because it is based upon Mac OS X Lion: The Missing Manual. Words and images are not changed where there was no reason to change them.

I believe it is the best in part because it begins with Chapter 0, a tutorial. This tutorial clearly and simply walks you through how Apple designers want you to work with Lion and Mountain Lion. You will work with gestures on the trackpad, with the launchpad, and in full screen mode so you concentrate on your subject. You will be in control of what is on your screen with Mission Control. You can decide for yourself whether you like this new way of working, and when it will work best for you. I am learning and finding I like to work this way.

The Missing Manuals have been famous for their many interesting and useful tips. With the features added in Lion and Mountain Lion there seem to be many more of them. I counted 79 tips in the first 100 pages.

OS X Mountain Lion The Missing Manual is written in David Pogue's clear and reader friendly style. It has Pogue's sense of humor. It probably helps that he doesn't type his books, he talks them into his computer. This time he was able to talk about dictation in Mountain LIon.

There are many very good well labeled illustrations that help to clarify the narrative. I like the style in the one showing what happens when you click the minimize button which was retrained from Mac OS X Lion as well as the new ones created for OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

I've been a fan of David's since meeting him at Macworld over a decade again, and his books are always entertaining and informative. He doesn't need color illustrations to get his point across because the notes, tips, descriptions, bullets, pictures, "up to speed" and power users' clinic and other boxes communicate very well. I appreciate the short paragraphs, readable typeface, excellent titling, and dynamic flow of information that makes this both a page-turner and terrific reference manual.

Comments about oreilly OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual:

I received a copy of this book from an O'Reilly promotion at OSCON, and downloaded it this afternoon. I read large chunks of it today, and learned a LOT. I've been using Macs for about 5 years, and I not only got good information about new Mountain Lion features (such as Power Nap), I also learned things that I probably should have known already.

David Pogue has an entertaining writing style that keeps me reading. I've seen his New York Times video reviews, and I can "hear" the same voice coming through the printed (well, digital) page.