Special User Group Promotion from O'Reilly....
Ever since we launched the first version of the O'Reilly Network
Safari Bookshelf in Fall of 2001, user group leaders have wanted to
test-drive it in order to report their experiences to their members.
Until now, the best we could offer was a 14-day free trial. We're
launching a great new Safari program for user groups called "Go
On Safari."
Here's how it works:
-A member of your user group (you or someone you designate) reviews
Safari. That person will get a free one-year subscription if
they publish a review of Safari within 60 days of opening their account.
It can be published in your newsletter, on your website or email
list, or in another publication altogether; please send reviews to Dick
Lennox.
-We also have an introductory program just for user group members.
To enter, any of your members who sign up for our Safari 14-day free
trial email (including the official reviewer) send comments on their
experiences, or tips and tricks for how they used Safari (it only needs
to be 2 sentences long, but it may be longer) to safari_talk@oreilly.com.
-Every week someone will be chosen from the tips or comments submitted
to receive fun stuff from O'Reilly (T-shirts, book bags, other surprises).
If a member of your user group is selected, your group receives free
gifts, too. Whatever the individual member receives, your UG will get
one, too, to give away at your next meeting, or use however you see
fit. Recipients--and their comments--will be announced in the User
Group Newsletter.
-One lucky group will be selected for an onsite speaking visit from
our
fearless leader, Tim O'Reilly (http://tim.oreilly.com/).
About the O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf:
If you're not yet familiar with the O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf,
it's worth a look. With Safari, you can access over 1,000 technical
books from the top technical book publishers--O'Reilly (of course),
Pearson, and Microsoft Press. There is an extremely cool search
capability that allows you to search through all 1,000+ books for the
answer you need--or even code samples--in minutes. Check it out at:
http://www.oreilly.com/safari/ug
Aladdin Systems discounts at the online UG store....
User group members get year-round special discounts on all Aladdin
products! Follow the link to
Aladdin’s Online User Group Store and enter
the code:
MUG 2002
Enter your User Group’s initials in the online form, then
enter the 8 character code exactly as above. CAPITALS and exact spacing
are required. Extra spaces will be interpreted as part of the code
and will generate an error
To download the latest user group order form with online store access
code printed on the back follow this link.
iLife & Keynote special price
for Educators....
Apple
today announced to education customers that it will offer teachers
and faculty iLife and Keynote for only $15 : "This iLife and Keynote
offer is another example of Apple's long-standing commitment to education,
enabling both K-12 teachers and Higher Education faculty to get the
latest Apple software at an amazing price. The program and website
will launch at 6am PST Wednesday, January 29 and run through March
31, 2003." The offer is also valid for K-12 teachers.
Keynote,
Apple’s newly announced presentation application, combines
Apple’s legendary ease of use, professionally designed themes,
and captivating images, enabling educators to enhance teaching and learning.
You can hit the ground running by importing existing PowerPoint, Adobe
Photoshop, QuickTime, and other media files into Keynote, making it the
shortest distance between your lesson plans and an engaging classroom
experience.
Review: Mac OS X: The Missing Manual,
2nd Edition...
David
Pogue comes through (again)! His first Missing Manual book on OS X,
enabled me to migrate from OS 9 with less pain and more humor than I
could have anticipated. As a long-time Mac user (since 1985!) I had
become entrenched in its idiosyncrasies (in fact making a living from
helping designers and Print shops work with them). OS 10 was not just
an upgrade...it was a change of life, and after first installing it,
I considered running back to the comfort of OS 9 (where most of my friends
and designers still reside). David's writing style, clarity, humor AND
thoroughness was my personal friend and tutor through the minefield
of OS 10 hell. I read the missing manual chapter by chapter and implemented
each nuance as it came up.
After a month I was fully converted. It empowered me to actually master
the interface, not just to use it. It is actually painful to go back
to OS 9 now. I eagerly awaited his second version (which covers Jaguar-OS
10.2) and it hasn't disappointed me. Jaguar is a MAJOR upgrade, and
even seems to run faster on my old G3 i mac. The over 150 additions
to this version were not on my radar but David again came through and
showed not only what they were, but how to use them (like inkwell).
Beyond that he has wonderful sidebars that explain how to further take
advantage of them and blend them with other aspects of the system. Hip
writer that he is, he has included separate "Where'd it Go?"
dictionaries for Mac upgraders as well as for Windows "switchers".
He covers the logic of the folder organization for both Mac users and
Unix geeks, as well as troubleshooting, Unix Terminal commands, iChat,
iCal, and .mac. He even shows how to hack the Mac OS....if you want
to.
This is truly "the book that should have been in the box"
and in keeping with the missing manual's stated goal, it should reside
dog-eared on your desktop- next to your mac, not in the bookshelf. Even
if you have the earlier version of the book, once you upgrade to Jaguar,
this should be the very next supplement. Even better, buy the book and
it will convince you to upgrade to Jaguar ( it even has a handy section
on how to do that too)!
Richard Lennox