You’re smart and savvy, but also busy. This comprehensive guide to Apple's Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard, gives you everything you need to know to live a happy, productive Mac life. Learn Mac OS X Snow Leopard will have you up and connected lickity–split. With a minimum of overhead and a maximum of useful information, you’ll cover a lot of ground in the time it takes other books to get you plugged in.

If this isn’t your first experience with Mac OS X, skip right to the "What’s New in Snow Leopard" sections. You may also find yourself using this book as a quick refresher course or a way to learn new Mac skills you’ve never tried before.

What you’ll learn

• Discover all the ins and outs of the Finder and Snow Leopard's streamlined workflow.
• Use the features of Apple’s built–in applications, including Mail, Safari, iCal, Address Book, iChat, Preview, and more.
• Learn about Snow Leopard’s improved security and reliability, and how to take full advantage of the connected world and a wealth of mobile devices.
• Administer your computer and network for yourself, your family, or your business.
• Work with add–on devices via direct connection or wirelessly.
• Master effective strategies for data backup, recovery, and security.
• Explore all of Apple’s improved iLife applications, including iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie.
• Delve into more advanced topics, such as how to take advantage of the Darwin subsystem in Leopard, how to run multiple operating systems on your Mac, and how to cooperate with other operating systems (and help them cooperate with you).
• Get started with your own Mac OS X development in Snow Leopard

Who this book is for

New Mac users, existing Mac users upgrading from older versions of Mac OS X, and PC users making the switch to Macs. These people share a common desire to learn stuff fast and keep learning! Because this book goes into greater depth than your average Mac OS X guide, it is also excellent for small business owners, user support personnel, and system administrators. There’s even an introduction to Mac OS X development for nascent programmers and the DIY crowd.

Table of Contents

1. Working in Snow Leopard: The Aqua interface
2. The File System
3. Using Spotlight, Exposé, Spaces, and Dashboard
4. System Preferences
5. Printing, Peripherals, and Bluetooth in Snow Leopard
6. Common Mac OS X Maintenance
7. Backup, Synchronization, and Recovery of Data
8. Mac OS X Security
9. Connecting to the Internet
10. Browsing the Web with Safari
11. Mail, Address Book, and iCal
12. iChat
13. MobileMe
14. Application Basics
15. Snow Leopard Applications
16. iLife ’09
17. Introducing Darwin and the Shell
18. Extending the Power of Darwin
19. Snow Leopard Networking
20. Working with Remote Servers and Networks
21. Snow Leopard As a Web Server
22. Mac OS X Automation with Automator and AppleScript
23. Mac OS X Development: The Application Frameworks
24. Mac OS X Development: The Tools
25. Mac OS X Development: Objective-C
26. Working with Microsoft Windows and Other Operating Systems