Book details of 'Crossing Platforms : A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook'

Title	Crossing Platforms : A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook
Author(s)	Adam C. Engst, David Pogue
ISBN	1565925394
Language	English
Published	November 1999
Publisher	O'Reilly & Associates

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Crossing Platforms : A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Say what you like about the farmer and the cowman, but the Windows user and the Macintosh jockey likely will never enjoy much more than a grudging coexistence. That's why it can be so traumatic when a job or other tragic circumstance requires a devotee of one environment to switch to the other. Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook helps ease the shock by translating the terms and conventions of each platform into the other's equivalent. It's organized like a translating dictionary, with two distinct sections: one for translating "Macintosh" into "Windows," the other for going the opposite way. Someone who is familiar with Windows and wants to know the equivalent of booting into Safe Mode can look up that term in the Windows-to-Mac section and read all about holding down the Shift key to boot Mac OS without extensions. A Mac user can look up Finder in the Mac-to-Windows section and learn how to use the functionally equivalent Windows Explorer. Each section opens with a handy "10 Most Important Differences" section, which explains such things as the operating systems' differences in window anatomy and that whole single- versus multiple-button mouse debacle. There's a certain amount of nyah-nyah sniping about which operating system's features are better, but it's all in fun. This is an honestly useful book. --David Wall Topics covered: Differences between modern Microsoft Windows (Windows 95 and 98) and Apple Mac OS (Mac OS 8 and beyond) operating systems, organized in dictionary format for people looking for the "other" system's equivalents of interface features they know.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
There is no overall preface to this book, so it takes a while to figure out that it is a dictionary. Or encyclopedia or glossary, maybe. Two dictionaries, in fact. The first half of the book translates Mac to Win, and the second half is Win to Mac. Each section has an almost identical, and very brief, introduction. Unfortunately, there are few cross-references, and there is no index. There is a great deal of useful information. "Disk space" points out that dragging a disk to the trash is the usual way to eject it on the Mac, but doing the same thing with the Recycle Bin in Windows will erase the files on the disk. "File synchronization" gives one of the best explanations I have seen of the mysterious Windows Briefcase. Some of the terms don't really translate. For example, there is an entry (in both sections) for "clean install." This makes sense in the Mac world, but not Windows, where the relevant term is "re-install" (which isn't even listed in the Windows side). The description makes it clear that replacing the operating system on Windows is a more involved process than it is on the Mac, but doesn't point out that the situation is so radically different that Windows users wouldn't even recognize the term. ("You talkin' about reformatting?") In some cases the descriptions leave out valuable information. For example, the sections on transferring files cover a variety of methods, but don't discuss the importance of file extensions in assisting the process. Even the entry for file types fails to list the common extensions. There is a definite Windows 98 emphasis. "Folders" is the term used by both sides, even though most experienced (read "old") Windows users still talk about directories. There is also a tendency to try to integrate terms, which leads to entries such as "Passwords Control Panel" rather than the more recognizable "My Computer|Control Panel|Passwords." In other places similar functions are not linked if they aren't identical: Scrapbook makes no mention of Clipboard. Rather oddly, a number of commercial applications that are available on both platforms are also listed. Despite the flaws, this guide is very useful for those with a strong background on one platform needing an introduction to work with the other. It can save a lot of time and aggravation. (Oh, all right. It does have an entry for virus, and it's no good.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 2000
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Book description:

Like travelers in a foreign land, Mac users working in Windows or Windows users working on a Mac often find themselves in unfamiliar territory with no guidebook. Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook, with information presented in a translation dictionary-like format, offers users a handy way of translating skills and knowledge from one platform to the other. Whether it's explaining the difference between Macintosh aliases and Windows shortcuts or explaining how a Windows user would go about setting up Internet access on a Mac, this book provides readers a simple means to look up familiar interface elements and system features and learn how that element or feature works on the other platform. Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook includes: A general introduction to the key differences between the Mac and Windows A to Z sections for each platform: one section where Mac users look up familiar Macintosh terms to find the equivalent function in Windows along with an explanation of the differences; and another section where Windows users find familiar Windows terms with pointers to the Macintosh equivalent along with full descriptions of how the function works on the Mac and important differences between the two platforms The complete translation dictionary-like reference book, Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook provides a simple solution for everyone who has been confused and frustrated by the arbitrary and sometimes capricious differences between the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. This book bridges the Mac-PC knowledge gap many users are faced with when work or preference demands the use of both a PC and Mac. Whether you already know the Macintosh or Windows, this book helps you navigate in the other operating system using your existing skills and knowledge.