Like the animal it's named for, Mac OS X Panther is beautiful, sleek, superbly efficient, dangerously alluring, and all muscle under the surface. Beneath its appealing interface, it's a hard-working machine. Those coming to Mac OS X from previous incarnations of the operating system recognize much of the friendly face of the Macintosh they're used to, but they're also plunged into a whole new world. Unix converts to Mac OS X find a familiar FreeBSD-like operating system at the core and many of the command-line applications that they're familiar with: it's like an open invitation to roll up their sleeves and hack.

"Mac OS X Panther Hacks" brings together the perfect combination of tips, tricks, and tools to help serious Mac users--regardless of their background--get the most from their machines. This revised collection reflects the real-world know how of those well-steeped in Unix history and expertise, sharing their no-nonsense, sometimes quick-and-dirty solutions to administering and taking full advantage of everything a Unix desktop has to offer: Web, Mail, and FTP serving, security services, SSH, Perl and shell scripting, compiling, configuring, scheduling, networking, and hacking. Add to that the experience of die-hard Macintosh users, customizing and modifying their hardware and software to meet their needs. The end result is cool stuff no power user should be without.

The hacks in the book range from the quick and easy to the more complex. Each can be read easily in a few minutes, saving countless hours of searching for the right answer. "Mac OS X Panther Hacks" provides direct, hands-on solutions in topics such as:

User Interface

Accessories (iPod, USB devices, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.)

Wired and wireless networking (Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.)

Email (servers and clients)

Web (servers and clients)

Messaging (iChat and associated apps)

Printing and Faxing (sharing printers, fax server, etc.)

Multimedia

If you want more than your average Mac user--you want to explore and experiment, unearth shortcuts, create useful tools, and come up with fun things to try on your own--this book will set you on the right track. Written for users who need to go beyond what's covered in conventional manuals--"Mac OS X Panther Hacks" will bring your Mac to its full potential.