OS X Book suggestions

[Warped1]

I am a lifelong computer nutt thats been working in the IT profession for over 12 years. I currently manage a very large enterprise of Windows machines. I program in Perl, VB, Java, blah blah blah.....and I am basically the go to guy for other techs when they need help.

I am now using my Mac mini that I bought a few months ago and am trying to use it more often. I hate feeling like a helpless user as I am used to being the computer master in the Windows environment.

So please help me by suggesting books for OS X that will make me a Mac pro. I need something that is targeted for a new OS X users but I want it to be a power users book as well. I'll buy two if I have to. Thanks.

 

[devilot]

The Missing Manual series is very well liked and respected. There are different books-- for Panther (10.3) or Tiger (10.4) and even 'switcher' books for each of those OSes (<-- what's the proper plural abbreviation?).

 

[Warped1]

Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition (Paperback) is only$16 at amazon. Thanks, this may be a good starter one.

I'm thinking about Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell also. O'Reilly usually does a great job on the Nuttshell series. I'll wait and see some more responses before I place the order.

Mac OS X Tiger Killer Tips (Killer Tips) looks good also.

 

[YS2003]

Since Mac OS X is very easy to use in general, I am reading Learning Unix for Mac OS X Tiger" and "The Missing Manufal: Apple Script" to gain more indepth knowledge of Mac OS.

I had a missing manual for Panther a while back; but, the info on that manual was not indepth enough as it mostly showed you how to navigate GUI (which is mostly available in help files which came with OS X). I am not sure its Tiger version; but, I am guessing its content angle and format are very similar.

 

[mduser63]

The Missing Manual series is my first recommendation. One of the things that I'm currently learning about that I think you'll appreciate as a programmer is AppleScript. It's not used by most Mac users, but it's something that really sets the Mac OS apart from Windows. With GUI scripting you can actually script any application, and create very complex automated tasks. With AppleScript Studio you can even create GUI applications entirely in AppleScript. Might be something you'd enjoy learning, and you'd probably learn a lot about OS X in the process.

I switched a year ago, and know the feeling, having been very proficient with Windows. With only a year of experience with OS X, I now feel much much more comfortable using OS X than with Windows. I can do things much quicker and more efficiently under OS X than is possible with Windows. The Missing Manual (in my case Panther edition) book was actually a big part of that, but mostly it's just from using the OS, reading these forums and trying stuff out.

FWIW, I thumbed through Tiger Killer Tips in the bookstore the other day and found a couple tricks I didn't know about. Seemed like a good book, especially for someone who wants to become a "power user" and know lots of little keyboard shortcuts and alternate ways of doing things.