Unix for Mac introduces itself with a succinct history of BSD (Unix), the meaning of Open Source, and the role GNU plays in Open Source programming. It avoids bogging the reader down with excessive information while, at the same time, providing a very good introduction. My typical response to the historical and explanatory information was: "Oh, okay. That makes sense." This response was consistent through the entire book. Following the short historical introduction, the book continues with instruction on the Terminal application (the Unix interface in OS X - also known as the terminal shell), proceeds through basic Unix commands, and then describes some of the more intermediate-level activities that can be accomplished on the Mac via Unix.
Unix for Mac is very easy to read and rather personable - if such a thing can be said about a book. Its target audience is the user with some or no Unix knowledge, so it fit quite well with my ability level. The book covers a very broad assortment of topics yet provides easy and useful instructions complete with screen examples, helpful hints, and concise historical explanations. I found this approach to be extremely helpful in removing the intimidation I felt of working with a command prompt interface. Additionally, having read some rather esoteric computer manuals, I was pleased to note that when the text provides a command or a command set that is particularly helpful, such as pushd / popd (which causes switching between directories in a single shell), it draws attention of the command's usefulness to the reader. This prevents readers who are unfamiliar with Unix, and perhaps feeling a little overwhelmed, from missing the advantages that a particularly useful but unanticipated command can provide. (An anticipated command being either the move or copy command - one the reader would expect and look for.)
Another aspect of Unix for Mac that I like is its emphasis and re-emphasis on referring to the Manual (Man) Pages. This, even from my limited experience, is the hallmark of good instruction concerning Unix. The reason being, as the text points out, that while Unix commands do have their own logic, they are not necessarily intuitive nor are the command options consistent from command to command.
Concerning any possible negatives, for better or worse, Unix for Mac never seeks to explain or question why one might wish to access the Unix underpinnings of OS X. It merely presumes you wish to do so for your own reasons and provides instruction on just about every conceivable activity one might wish to perform in a Unix environment - whether it is easier in Aqua or not. While I actually liked this feature because I believe this approach helped preserve the book's conciseness, some people, particularly new Mac users in general, may not appreciate the lack of interface comparisons.
In conclusion, Unix for Mac is the first published book I have read that specifically addresses working with Unix on the Macintosh via the Terminal application so I do not know how others compare; that said, I liked the book very much. It was certainly a much easier read than most of the cryptic resources I have found on-line. In fact, as I progressed through the book, I found myself thinking it was very much like having an extremely knowledgeable friend looking over my shoulder who could give me the operational basics with some advanced insights into the inner workings of Unix. Questions that I had were answered as they occurred to me. Background information was presented so that I had a good understanding of what I was attempting to do and how I was accomplishing it. In my estimation, Unix for Mac won't be last reference book one uses if serious about working with Unix in OS X, but it should be the first.
