From the Publisher

About this Book

Why is the operating system called 'El Capitan'?

Most software companies develop their wares in secret, using code names for new products. Apple’s code names for OS X were first named after big cats: OS X was Cheetah, 10.1 was Puma, 10.2 was Jaguar, 10.3 was Panther, 10.4 was Tiger, 10.5 was Leopard, 10.6 was Snow Leopard, 10.7 was Lion, and 10.8 was Mountain Lion.

Usually, the code name is dropped as soon as the product is complete. Apple thought its cat names were cool enough to retain for the finished product. But then it pretty much ran out of species. What was left? Bobcat? Cougar? Ocelot?

So beginning with OS X 10.9, Apple’s naming system moved on—to famous places in California. Mavericks is a big-wave surfing spot in Northern California. Yosemite (version 10.10) is a breathtaking national park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. And El Capitan is a rock formation inside Yosemite National Park.

Now you know.

Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual is divided into five parts, each containing several chapters:

Part One: Welcome to Macintosh, covers the essentials. It’s a crash course in everything you see onscreen when you turn on the machine: the Dock, Sidebar, icons, windows, menus, scroll bars, Trash, aliases, a menu, and so on.

Part Two: Making the Move, is dedicated to the actual process of hauling your software, settings, and even peripherals (like printers and monitors) across the chasm from the PC to the Mac. It covers both the easy parts (copying over your documents, pictures, and music files) and the harder ones (transferring your email, address books, buddy lists, and so on). It also covers the steps for running Windows on your Mac, which is an extremely attractive option.

Part Three: El Capitan Online, walks you through the process of setting up an Internet connection on your Mac. It also covers Apple’s Internet software suite: Mail, Contacts, Safari, and Messages.

Part Four: Putting Down Roots, deals with more advanced topics—and aims to turn you into a Macintosh power user. It teaches you how to use the Continuity features, set up private accounts for people who share a Mac, create a network for file sharing and screen sharing, navigate the System Preferences program (the Mac equivalent of the Windows Control Panel), use the Notification Center, operate the 50 or so freebie bonus programs that come with OS X.

Part Five: Appendixes. At the end of the book, you’ll find four appendixes. The first two cover installation and troubleshooting. The third is the 'Where’d It Go?' Dictionary—an essential reference for anyone who occasionally (or frequently) flounders to find some familiar control in the new, alien Macintosh environment. The last is a master keyboard-shortcut list for the entire Mac universe.