Book Description
Apple's "Switch" campaign, aimed at Windows PC users who've had it to here with the complexity, intrusiveness, viruses and hassle of life in Windows, is having tremendous success. Lured by Apple's gorgeous computers and Mac OS X, the new super-stable operating system, thousands of Windows refugees are making the leap to the simpler, cleaner lines of the Macintosh -- and then discovering that just buying a new Mac isn't quite all there is to it. Not only must they learn new ways of doing things, but they may find it a challenge to bring over their digital lives from the PC they leave behind (or leave on their desk as a second machine). This concise, entertaining book from celebrated author and New York Times columnist David Pogue shows Mac converts how to make the move quickly and easily. With refreshing humor and jargon-free prose, Pogue teaches novices and power users alike how to move their files, address book and email collection from a PC to the Mac; adapt to Mac versions of programs such as Microsoft Office, FileMaker, Photoshop, America Online and Quicken; find familiar controls in the new system; set up a network to share files with PCs and Macs; and adapt their old printers, scanners, and other peripherals. An important part of this book is Appendix B, the "Where'd It Go?" Dictionary, which includes an alphabetical listing of every familiar Windows feature, and where readers can find its equivalent in Mac OS X. If you're ready to switch, this is your guide.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Are you bringing the first Mac into your life? Maybe you just love the way the new Macs look, and you￯﾿ﾽve decided you￯﾿ﾽve got to have one? Or you￯﾿ﾽre tired of Windows? Did you just get a job in a shop that uses Macs? Do you switch between Windows and Macs depending on where you are and what you￯﾿ﾽre doing? Whatever the reason, if you￯﾿ﾽre a Windows user who￯﾿ﾽs planning to spend a lot more time with Macs and OS X, you￯﾿ﾽll welcome Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual.

Whether you￯﾿ﾽre a ￯﾿ﾽswitcher￯﾿ﾽ or ￯﾿ﾽco-exister,￯﾿ﾽ you￯﾿ﾽll typically have three major tasks ahead of you. David Pogue -- the long-time Mac author and New York Times technology columnist -- can help with all three.

First, you￯﾿ﾽll want to get comfortable with your new environment. Mac OS X does pretty much the same stuff as any other contemporary operating system, but it does them differently. Differently enough from Windows that you￯﾿ﾽll want some help. Using your Windows knowledge as a starting point, Pogue helps you get comfortable with OS X￯﾿ﾽs dock, icons, windows, menus, scrollbars, aliases, Apple menu, trash basket, and the rest of the Mac interface. (You say Ctrl-Click isn￯﾿ﾽt enough? You must have a two-button mouse? Well, no sweat: go ahead and add one, via USB. It￯﾿ﾽll work right out of the box.)

Once you know your way around, you￯﾿ﾽll need to copy some or all your Windows content over to your Mac. Some of that￯﾿ﾽs straightforward. An MP3￯﾿ﾽs an MP3, wherever you￯﾿ﾽre running it.

Some of it￯﾿ﾽs trickier. It￯﾿ﾽs not immediately self-evident to the casual user how to extract and copy your email messages, address books, instant messaging buddy lists, and so forth. Of course, you￯﾿ﾽll also have to transfer your Internet and email account settings. Pogue will walk you through all that.

Next, you￯﾿ﾽll need to assemble Mac programs to handle the tasks you￯﾿ﾽre used to performing in Windows.

Well, there￯﾿ﾽs Microsoft Word and Excel, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and so forth -- no problem there, except the expense of buying new versions. But when it comes to more specialized stuff, it can take some sleuthing to find equivalents or workarounds. Pogue offers a full chapter of listings and solutions. You￯﾿ﾽll find everything from alternatives to Microsoft Visio diagramming software (he finds OmniGiraffe a ￯﾿ﾽdelightful￯﾿ﾽ alternative) to freeware versions of Solitaire.

While you￯﾿ﾽre at it, Pogue tells you all you need to know about hardware -- including where to find printer drivers for hundreds of older Mac and Windows printers...which $40 software package extends OS X support to dozens of otherwise unsupported scanners...and why your DVD-ROM￯﾿ﾽs Eject button doesn￯﾿ﾽt eject anything.

Whether you￯﾿ﾽve considered yourself a Windows power user or not, it￯﾿ﾽs surprisingly easy to become a Mac power user -- and that￯﾿ﾽs this book￯﾿ﾽs fourth task. Pogue walks you through setting up accounts for each of your Mac￯﾿ﾽs users; tweaking your Mac￯﾿ﾽs System Preferences to get them just right, and more. You￯﾿ﾽll also tour your Mac￯﾿ﾽs collection of applications and applets, from Stickies to Stuffit Expander, iCal (calendar) to QuickTime Player.

Thanks to David Pogue, there￯﾿ﾽs a single location where Windows users can resolve all their Mac confusions -- and it￯﾿ﾽs about time. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Apple's "Switch" campaign, aimed at Windows PC users who've had it to here with the complexity, intrusiveness, viruses and hassle of life in Windows, is having tremendous success. Lured by Apple's gorgeous computers and Mac OS X, the new super-stable operating system, thousands of Windows refugees are making the leap to the simpler, cleaner lines of the Macintosh -- and then discovering that just buying a new Mac isn't quite all there is to it. Not only must they learn new ways of doing things, but they may find it a challenge to bring over their digital lives from the PC they leave behind (or leave on their desk as a second machine).

This concise, entertaining book from celebrated author and New York Times columnist David Pogue shows Mac converts how to make the move quickly and easily.

With refreshing humor and jargon-free prose, Pogue teaches novices and power users alike how to move their files, address book and email collection from a PC to the Mac; adapt to Mac versions of programs such as Microsoft Office, FileMaker, Photoshop, America Online and Quicken; find familiar controls in the new system; set up a network to share files with PCs and Macs; and adapt their old printers, scanners, and other peripherals. An important part of this book is Appendix A, the "Where'd It Go?" Dictionary, which includes an alphabetical listing of every familiar Windows feature, and where readers can find its equivalent in Mac OS X.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal