Neil Fein's Blog

The Mac OS X Tiger Book
by Andy Ihnatko

I used to subscribe to the now-defunct US version of MacUser magazine, and the best part of it was always Andy Ihnatko's columns. Eventually, MacUser folded and Andy went on to writing for other publications.

His blog has also been entertaining for years. When I read there that Andy had a book out about Tiger -- the latest version of the Mac OS, which I'd just installed -- Why, I drove right over to a local MegaBookAndCoffeeStore, snagged a copy off the shelves, sat down and read and sipped.

Andy (you don't mind if I call him that, do you?) is an old friend. I share many tastes with him, They Might Be Giants among them. And how can you not like a guy who goes on and on about Terry Gilliam's work, and also about This Is Spinal Tap? To top it all off, he also drinks Dr. Pepper. Oh, yeah, he loves the Mac, too. He has one called "Lilith".

Actually, I've never met the man. But I get the nagging feeling I should have, from the way he writes. Reading the intro chapters to The Mac OS X Tiger Book feels a little like I'm stalking him or something. But once you get used to this feeling of intimacy, pretend an old buddy is telling you about Steve Jobs's latest Insanely Great Thing... why, it's al very nice and comfy.

The book is aimed squarely at neophyte Mac users. Even so, I did learn a few things, about multiuser setups and networking and contact management and a few others. But I read this book because it's just damn fun. When's the last time you read a book from cover to cover? (Okay, I read the Macintosh Bible all the way through once. I'm not proud of it, and please don't tell anyone.)

And it's funny! Yes, a funny computer book. I kept interrupting my wife to read her little bits, to the point where I started annoying her greatly. Only on the Mac can you combine Operating Systems, humor, and marital dysfunction?

If you have a passing interest in the Mac, buy this book. Highly recommended.

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