Following is a short list of recommended reference books, including eBooks, from a select few authors, along with some trusted online sources for Mac titles of all sorts.

Robin Williams - She may have the misfortune of sharing her name with a famous actor, but _this_ Robin Williams has no peer when it comes to writing computer-related manuals. Her "Non-Designer's Design Book" series covers Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, presentations, web layout and publishing, and a slew of other topics. And if you're trying to learn your way around the MacOS, you can't do better than her "Little Mac Book" series and her OSX books which have covered every OSX version since the first. Beautifully illustrated, clearly written, her books top this list of reference materials.

Adam Engst and Tonya Engst - Possibly the most complete, up-to-date and useful resource for getting a grip on specific Macintosh topics is the "Take Control" series of ebooks. Browse their complete list of subjects, and for a few bucks you can download more than you'll need to know about most any specific Mac-related topic.

Adam, Glenn Fleishman and a talented staff of techno-writers are also responsible for publishing the weekly TidBits newsletter that has been a staple of current, reliable information for the entire Macintosh community for over 20 years.

As a general-purpose reference book about all things Mac, the Macintosh Bible is an enormous tome essential for answering any and all questions about the Mac and computers in general. Want to know what ASCII code character 127 is? It's in there. Even an old version of this book is enormously helpful - some things don't change all that much.

For the more nerdly among us, check out these publishers and their lists of outstanding MacOS, iOS, networking and programming manuals.

Various In/Out ports used over the years...

Common video-out ports include DVI-I (which also carries analog), and compatible DVI-D and DVI-A ports (both of which are digital-only). Digital cables over 10-feet in length must be top-quality to minimize loss/noise, and long runs may require use of fiber optics instead.

Back in the day of the first 128K Mac, the 512K "Fat Mac," FX and others, we had no need of System version numbers and names; the Mac's OS was simply known as, well, the MacOS. Back then, both the Operating System and application program fit nicely on a single 400K "floppy" (actually the first 3.5" hard-shell Sony diskette that would become industry standard), with enough space left over for a document or two.

The ancient MacPlus and early SEs with 800K drives can't go past System 6.0.8 without extensive modification to drives and logic board to meet minimum System 7 specs. An SE equipped with 1.4MB diskette drive(s) and other modifications could be made to run System 7.

7.5.5 requires a 1.4MB diskette drive and 8 to 16MB RAM. (System 7.5.5 can gobble up 4-5 times as much RAM as System 7.0 did on 68K machines.) Communications via bulletin boards (BBS) was the norm at that time.

32 MB of RAM and System 7.6.1 _might_ get you online today, but you won't get very far without using Cyberdog or hacking Netscape for use on certain machines like the SE/30. This configuration, System 7.6.1, represents the bare-bones minimum required to allow email and internet on early Macs and PowerBooks. System 7.6.1 also supported the multiple SCSI bus of 603e/604e PowerPC Macs.

Apple used license of this System release to terminate Mac clones. (There were at least six at the time, including Motorola, UMAX and Power Computing.) OS 8 was actually the last of System 7 (unofficially 7.7). The other big change was this: OS 8 was the first MacOS to have a price tag.

OS 8.1 Introduced HFS+ extended format, along with more than a few other significant changes including enhanced software capabilities and communications. 8.1 was the _real_ beginning of the MacOS version 8. Runs on almost all PowerPC Macs up to the G3 Risc series processors (also known as the 750 chip).

Improved interface and control over view functions with global preference settings. 8.5 introduced Sherlock; 8.6 expands on search capability, indexing. Top end for 603e CPUs. If you can't use OS9 (which will not install on ancient PPCs), 8.5 or 8.6 is your best bet.

OS 9.1 will run on 604s, G3s, and a few G4 Macs. Newer G4s and G5s will not startup with OS9, but can run OS9.2.2 and apps using OSX Classic Mode (provided OS9 drivers were included with hard drive format under OSX).

With improved security, data encryption, and many communications enhancements, OS 9.2.1 was the last commercial release of System 9, followed by one final update to OS 9.2.2. Update 9.2.2 contains improved OSX "Classic Mode" compatibility and additional hardware drivers for G4 CD and DVD burners. Last, best browser under OS 9 was Netscape 7.02. OS 9.2.2 is absolutely necessary if you're still dragging "Classic" OS9 apps. Tiger 10.4 was the last version of Mac OSX to recognize OS9 "Classic mode" and legacy software (see below); Leopard 10.5 will not recognize legacy software, nor can Intel machines run legacy software.

Slow, incomplete, not a pleasant experience. OS 10.0 thru 10.2.x are best avoided; any machine capable of running 10.0-10.2 Jaguar should be running Tiger (10.4) or later, if possible.

Officially, all G3s - except the very first (beige) models and the first G3 PowerBook - will run OS X versions thru 10.3.9; in reality, RAM requirements and hard drive space are determining factors. All G4s will run Panther nicely; a few later G4s and all G5 models startup in OS X only, but all machines up to Intel Macs (and Leopard 10.5, below) will run OS9 apps in Classic Mode on HDDs with OS9 drivers installed. Unofficially, almost any Mac with PCI architecture allowing addition of a USB card can run OSX with a little tinkering.

Written to accommodate the 64-bit G5 processor and newer Intel Macs, Tiger is virtually identical to Panther with a few added bells and whistles, many of which require a broadband connection to the internet (as does the Software Update function built into both Panther and Tiger). All G5 Macs should be running Tiger 10.4.11 or Leopard 10.5.8 (with sufficient RAM).

Early Intel Macs may have shipped with Tiger 10.4 onboard, but upgrading to Leopard 10.5 or Snow Leopard 10.6 will allow the CPUs in these machines to operate at full potential. Later Intel-powered Macs will not run 10.4.

Official release was on Friday, October 26th, 2007. Apple finally dropped legacy support for OS9 and Classic Mode with Leopard 10.5, regardless of machine's processor (G5 or Intel). Apple claimed "300 new features" when 10.5 was released, but 10.5's real claim to fame is that it is the last OS that will run on G5s and some G4s.

OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion: $20 online - download ONLY.

Adding RAM (Random Access Memory) is probably the most cost effective and significant upgrade step you can take, even for a brand-new computer. Many people confuse RAM and storage space on their hard drive, but they're two very different things. RAM is where work takes place; when you startup your Mac, its Operating System loads into RAM. When you launch a program, it also loads into RAM. RAM is where creation and editing take place; your work is only written to disk (hard drive) when saved and stored. While working, RAM is shared between OS and apps. On shutdown, RAM is emptied. If power is interrupted, whatever was in RAM will be lost, which is why it's good to save your work (to disk) often.

More RAM means faster processing. It also allows you to have as many applications open simultaneously as installed RAM will allow. If you use your computer for more than simple word processing and email, you will likely benefit from adding RAM.

RAM modules, sometimes referred to as DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory Modules), come in a variety of sizes, types and brands, with various technical specifications. RAM is extremely machine-specific; sometimes a RAM module can be moved from Mac to Mac within a machine "family" (i.e. same processor and bus specs), but this is rare. Modules are also keyed to fit matching RAM slots.

If an application was thoughtfully written and carefully beta-tested prior to release, there might be a subroutine that periodically checks memory management, but don't count on it. A program will more likely freeze, quit without warning or simply stop responding to input. If you experience spinning beach balls galore in more than one application and apps that unexpectedly quit, you probably need to add more RAM.

This is the so-called "Information Age" we're living in, and people expect to see a certain amount of information about you and/or your business. A phone number, an address - and a web site. You're a designer? You should have a portfolio of your work posted online for people to view. You run a sign shop? Let's see some examples of your work. Problem is, registering a domain name, designing a web site, posting it with a web host and keeping it updated is a lotta work. Once established, tho, it can be an essential advertising and marketing tool.

It's actually kinda fun to publish photos and info online. You can have your own blog or discussion group, post slide shows, video, take it as far as you wish. Editing your site is pretty easy, too, once you get the hang of it, but the initial setup might best be left to web designers who know all the tricks. We can help you find someone local you can work with or help you find a decent web host that might be local, too. For starters, you can layout a mock site in TextEdit or Photoshop or Keynote, or create a PDF file - or launch into the real thing using Apple's iWeb app. Once you have a basic layout, translating it into a web-friendly form is fairly quick. Cruise around the Web for ideas, look at different layouts and site designs, and work on a mock up that suits you.

Meanwhile, the first thing you'll need is your very own unique domain name which you'll have to purchase and register, even if you won't be able to use it for awhile. Domain names are registered according to the suffix attached, with ".com" being the most prevalent. Finding a suitable - and available - domain name presents a problem, too, especially with "speculators" hijacking every name they can think of, then offering these for resale at extortion prices. (As I recall, the domain name "bank.com" once sold for $3M.) Many ISPs will snag a domain name for you, automatically, the instant it becomes available - for a small fee. Domain names become quite valuable when you consider printed materials, investment in site resources, email addresses, and advertising. When checking availability of a given domain name, it might be best to look it up thru a secure server rather than openly checking the interNIC. Read on for more about Domain Name Services.....