Take Control Electronic Books:
Take Control of Upgrading to Panther
Take Control of Customizing Panther

The first two titles in the series are Take Control of Upgrading to Panther by Joe Kissell (65 pages) and Take Control of Customizing Panther by Matt Neuburg (55 pages). Kissell’s book gives invaluable step-by-step instructions for upgrading to Panther as well as troubleshooting help and tips for avoiding trouble in the first place. Neuburg’s book offers undocumented Panther details and helps you create shortcuts and customize your installation, Finder windows, Exposé, Font menus and more. Each is well worth the modest $5 cost.

Take Control titles are purchased through the TidBITs website via eSellerate online ordering service. Both books I purchased were ready for downloading within a few minutes of placing my order. Books arrive in the form of trim PDF files that can be read on your Mac using the free Acrobat Reader software—no specialized software required. The books print out nicely if you prefer a hard copy. However, reading on an internet-connected Mac allows you to take full advantage the books’ internal and web hyperlinks: selections of internet-style clickable text that jump you to related topics within the book and on the internet. Bill Atkinson, the creator of HyperCard, would be proud.

Just three weeks after the first two Take Control titles were published, updated versions of both books were issued ( free to current owners), covering late-breaking developments. That’s impressive customer service under any circumstance, and for a $5 investment, it’s simply amazing.