With its rep for being the sort of machine that won't intimidate even the most inexperienced users, what's the appeal of the Mac® for hard-core geeks? The Mac has always been an efficient tool, pleasant to use and customize, and eminently hackable. But now with Mac OS® X's BSD core, many a Unix® developer has found it irresistible. The latest version of Mac OS X, called Panther, makes it even easier for users to delve into the underlying Unix operating system. In fact, you can port Linux® and Unix applications and run them side-by-side with your native Aqua® apps right on the Mac desktop. Still, even experienced Unix users may find themselves in surprisingly unfamiliar territory as they set out to explore Mac OS X. Even if you know Macs through and through, Mac OS X Panther is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before. Enter Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. The new edition of this book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Panther-specific components that you may find challenging. This concise book will ease you into the Unix innards of Mac OS X Panther, covering such topics as: A quick overview of the Terminal application, including Terminal alternatives like iTerm and GLterm Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler (GCC) Library linking and porting Unix software An overview of Mac OS X Panther's filesystem and startup processes Creating and installing packages using Fink and Darwin Ports Building the Darwin kernel Using the Apple® X11 distribution for running X Windows® applications on top of Mac OS X The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages" --commands that come with Mac OS X Panther, although there are no manpages. If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks will get you acclimated quickly to the foreign new areas of a familiar Unix landscape.

If you're a developer or system administrator lured to Mac OS X because of its Unix roots, you'll quickly discover that performing Unix tasks on a Mac is different than what you're accustomed to. Mac OS X for Unix Geeks serves as a bridge between Apple's Darwin OS and the more traditional Unix systems. This clear, concise guide gives you a tour of Mac OS X's Unix shell in both Leopard and Tiger, and helps you find the facilities that replace or correspond to standard Unix utilities. You'll learn how to perform common Unix tasks in Mac OS X, such as using Directory Services instead of the standard Unix /etc/passwd and /etc/group, and you'll be able to compile code, link to libraries, and port Unix software using either Leopard and Tiger. This book teaches you to: Navigate the Terminal and understand how it differs from an xterm Use Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo as well as Directory Services Compile your code with GCC 4 Port Unix programs to Mac OS X with Fink Use MacPorts to install free/open source software Search through metadata with Spotlight's command-line utilities Build the Darwin kernel And there's much more. Mac OS X for Unix Geeks is the ideal survival guide to tame the Unix side of Leopard and Tiger. If you're a Unix geek with an interest in Mac OS X, you'll soon find that this book is invaluable.

If you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its Unix core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Unix and Mac OS X are kissing cousins, but there are enough pitfalls and minefields in going from one to another that even a Unix guru can stumble, and most guides to Mac OS X are written for Mac aficionados. For a Unix developer, approaching Tiger from the Mac side is a bit like learning Russian by reading the Russian side of a Russian-English dictionary. Fortunately, O'Reilly has been the Unix authority for over 25 years, and in Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks, that depth of understanding shows.This is the book for Mac command-line fans. Completely revised and updated to cover Mac OS X Tiger, this new edition helps you quickly and painlessly get acclimated with Tiger's familiar-yet foreign-Unix environment. Topics include: Using the Terminal and understanding how it differs from an xterm Using Directory Services, Open Directory (LDAP), and NetInfo Compiling code with GCC 3 Library linking and porting Unix software Creating and installing packages with Fink Using DarwinPorts Search through metadata with Spotlight's command-line utilities Building the Darwin kernel Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X, or better yet, run Mac OS X on a Windows machine with PearPC! Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks is the ideal survival guide for taming the Unix side of Tiger. If you're a Unix geek with an interest in Mac OS X, you'll find this clear, concise book invaluable.

This work provides a user-friendly tour for the uninitiated of the Mac's UNIX base. You can safely explore Terminal and familiarize yourself with the command line, learning as you go about the hundreds of UNIX programs that come with your Mac

Mac OS X is a wonderful combination of the power and flexibility of Unix with the ease of use that seems to come only from Apple. Between the tools baked right into the system, a veritable cornucopia of third-party applications, and a cottage industry of customizations, tweaks, and hacks, the Mac is a force to be reckoned with like never before. Mac OS X Panther Hacks celebrates the Macintosh's adventurous spirit, inviting the citizen engineer on a quest of deeper discovery -- both with the purpose of going further and simply enjoying the ride. Mac OS X Panther Hacks continues the tradition started with Mac OS X Hacks, sitting squarely at the peculiar confluence of deadly earnest optimization and creative (albeit sometimes wacky) tweaking you seem to find only on a Mac.

In the rapid evolution of Mac OS X, there have been three major releases in three short years. Each new release has challenged power users to stay ahead of the learning curve-and Mac OS X Panther is by no means an exception. Apple's own documentation gives clues to parts of the puzzle, but until now, there hasn't been a comprehensive resource that charts the internals of the system. Running Mac OS X Panther is the book that Mac power users have been craving. Author James Duncan Davidson takes you deep inside Mac OS X's core and shows you how to make Panther purr like nothing else. This book isn't just for those who want to use Mac OS X, but for those who feel the need to customize, tweak, and dissect Mac OS X. The book covers such topics as: Setting up user accounts for humans and non-humans; Scheduling tasks and monitoring your system; Using HFS+ and the Journaled filesystem used by Panther; Tweaking preferences by hacking plist files or using the defaults command; Opening Directory and Directory Services, including NetInfo and LDAP; Handling printer configuration and printing; Managing networking and network services, including Rendezvous and wireless AirPort networks. The appendix includes juicy details about such things as installing Panther, plus a listing of resources for Mac users and power users alike. Written for readers who are inquisitive and confident enough to dig into their Macintosh system, Running Mac OS X Panther doesn't waste time talking about silly Finder tricks. This book dives right in and explains how Mac OS X works. If you're not a Mac guru when you start reading this book, you will be by the time you finish it. James Duncan Davidson found the Mac religion toward the end of his post at Sun Microsystems. He is a freelance author, speaker, and software consultant, focusing on Mac OS X, Cocoa, java, and XML.

The Mac OS X Panther Pocket Guide introduces users to the fundamental concepts of using Mac OS X Panther (Version 10.3). The book starts out with a "Mac OS X Survival Guide," which shows Mac users what's changed from Mac OS 9 and also helps Windows and Unix switchers get acclimated to their new OS.

Complete overview of Mac OS Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2) including basic system and network administration features, hundreds of tips and tricks, with an overview of Mac OS X's Unix text editors and CVS.

Sadun shows users how to take control over the way their applications look and behave and provides a structured overview of how to hack system and application preferences and resources to change the look and feel of their Macs.

For power users who want to modify Tiger, the new release of Mac OS X, this book takes them deep inside Mac OS X's core, revealing the inner workings of the system.