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Unix Businesses Operating Systems Software Apple

O'Reilly Publishing Mac OS X for Unix Geeks 71

Posted by pudge from the sweet-unix-luvin dept.
vi-rocks writes "A new O'Reilly book is due for release in October: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks. Brian Jepson and Ernest Rothman are the authors. Details about the book (including a sample chapter) are available on the website. Note the sash on the top right hand of the cover reads 'Switching to Mac OS X.' They say you can't judge a book by it cover -- HUMBUG!, I've already pre-ordered :)" The sample chapter information on NetInfo has helped me already.
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O'Reilly Publishing Mac OS X for Unix Geeks More

O'Reilly Publishing Mac OS X for Unix Geeks

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  • I guess the people at O'Reilly are finally realizing what they are: geeks.
  • In my ongoing campaign to encourage the creation of a styleguide for Slashdot blurbs, I'd like to point out again that the link to the sample chapter in this blurb will be a 'gotcha' for many readers, who need to give PDFs special handling (or skip them).

    Just marking it [pdf] would be a big help, for minimal effort. (See my other recent replies for similar style suggestions.)

    • Re:META: Please flag PDF-links (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      *cough* Look at your browser's status bar. *cough*

      Seriously, though, I'd rather a see an info-on-hover system honored than have to filter out tons of explicit metadata like [PDF] while skimming an article.

      • "tons of explicit metadata"

        The rule is very simple: minimise 'gotchas'. Any non-standard file-format deserves explicit tagging.

        "Look at your browser's status bar"

        This is just inconsiderate interface-design. Nobody really wants to have to hover-and-peek before every click.

        • This is just inconsiderate interface-design. Nobody really wants to have to hover-and-peek before every click.

          A few minor points:

          • The Web site isn't supposed to dictate interface. Interface is up to the browser. Web sites consist of text and links. It's up to the user agent to determine how to present the embedded metadata.
          • That's the point of the status bar. If you find it too difficult to glance at the bottom of the screen, use a browser [opera.com] that lets you reposition the status bar. Or you could hack an existing one [slashdot.org].
          • Obviously you haven't been on Slashdot that long [goatse.cx].
      • One possibility: put [PDF] in the title, which pops up next to your cursor (depending on which browser you use). That way, you can hover over the link, and not have to peer at the status line every time you click, but the subtle warning is still there: [PDF]. Too bad slashdot doesn't do titles much, if at all.
    • Is there any way on the MacOS X PDF reader, or Acrobat for that matter, to display the document as a single scrolling page of text?

      It drives me nuts to browse by paper page, since inevitablby my screen is just a shade shorter than a complete page, and so I have to scroll down to the rest of page 1 and then move to page 2. It's an incredibly akward way to read.

      Anyone find a decent solution to this?

      D
  • I am helping my folks setup their new iMac and I have found Apple's switch site to be rather light on the detail. I don't have time to wait for a book. Are there any good, technical websites for helping people switch Windows to Mac - and use both at the same time?

    For example, I want to share a non-poscript printer connected to a Windows machine, with the Mac. I am assuming that it must be possible since OSX is based on Unix and Unix can do it. I know that I probably need to install Ghostscript but I don't know what to do after that. Any suggestions?
  • if apple gave us free mac hardware :)
    • I'd consider switching if there were, oh, two or three brands of PPC-based motherboards to choose from. ATX form factor, please.

    • Re:Linux users would switch.... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 28, 2002 @09:01AM (#4349826)
      if apple gave us free mac hardware :)

      I'd switch to Windows if Dell gave me free hardware. OK, no I wouldn't but that just shows you how stupid this comment is and Linux users keep throwing out there. Yeah, yeah, all you want is a free operating system, free applications, and top-notch free hardware....Please give me a break! Stop wasting bandwidth with dumb-ass comments like this.

      I'd also drive a BMW if they would just give me one for free....

    • Don't lump me in with you. I've already switched from a linux desktop to a Mac OS X iBook and use it daily at work. I still use linux for servers, but for my workstation, I have an iBook and I couldn't be happier.

      I've never been a big X user, so I'm not hung up on 'it doesnt work like X' complaints that hold back many people.

      Linux users ARE swtiching, but from my view, they're keeping their servers linux and adding their OS X desktops. Of course, my stats for that are about as scientific as OReilly's. :)

      $.02
      • Nah, a few people are switching hardware platforms but I think plenty of people are installing Linux [miketec.org].
      • It works just like X once you install DarwinX..
        I pull up apps using ssh -X on remote Solaris boxes
        all the time, either rootless to my Aqua desktop,
        or to a Alt-del switched fullscreen Xwindow desktop.
        If I want to run the apps on the Mac, I'll get them using Fink. All of this, I found on the Apple OSX website under UNIX tools. Sinple point and click, no edits or typing needed to set it all up other than
        >setenv DISPLAY -ip-.0:0 on the remote
        and
        >xhost -remoteip- on the mac..

  • Big Problem (Score:1, Troll)

    by extrasolar ( 28341 )
    Does have a CD of the OS included?

  • "Switching to MacOS X" = "A UNIX Hackers Guide" (Score:4, Interesting)

    by diverman ( 55324 ) on Friday September 27, 2002 @05:44PM (#4347615)
    I think it's interesting that the sash on Amazon's site (particularly in the larger image [amazon.com]) is different than the link in this post.

    Instead of "Switching to MacOS X", Amazon reads "A UNIX Hackers Guide". Weird.

    I wonder what that's all about.

    -Alex

  • Don't they really need a book the other way around (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Mac OS X has those old OS 9 people running scared.
    They know that the evil command line and a swag of unixy software is under the hood - but they don't want to mess with it. That's why they want lovely gui installs for stuff like PHP and MySQL ;)

    But do you teach them emacs or vi?

    People who know unix can quickly come to grips with OS X. Its only a matter of figuring out what wierd directory stuff goes into. What they will get confused with is Microsoft Office X.
    Also seeing a gui environment running all the time will surprise them.

    I just wish that Terminal.app wouldn't unexpectedly quit on me (with the old error message style that will allow os 9 users to fell at home).
  • Surely they could have picked a better cover animal than a hunting dog (with the "this old dog won't hunt" association, maybe?).

    I'm not sure what to propose as an alternative, though. Clarus [apple.com] is clearly old-school Mac OS, and a jaguar would be too specific to 10.2. Ideas, anyone?

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