Crossing Platforms : A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook

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.

Product 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. This complete reference includes:

A general introduction to the key differences between the Mac and WindowsA 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

Their book is a good reference work for any dual-platform user. It literally is organized like a Spanish-to-English/English-to-Spanish dictionary:

One half of the book gives Windows equivalents to various MacOS features such as Preferences, Extensions and Control Panels. The other half does the converse, explaining the Mac equivalents to Windows features. Differences in each case are spelled out. In some cases, there is no real equivalent and the particulars are explained (for instance, there is no Mac equivalent for the mysterious Windows "Registry" -- similar functions are handled very differently by "Preferences" on a Mac.)

This book has no real beginning or end and is mainly a reference book. Mac users wanting more of a start-at-the-beginning explanation of Windows should check out "Windows for Mac Users" by Robin Williams -- one of the most well-written computer books on the market.


The opposite of a "Dummies" book   May 22, 2000
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Recently I took a job which required me to work in an office that was mostly Windows-driven. Knowing Adam's and David's reputation, I decided that their book was a good choice.

After skimming through "Crossing Platforms," I was able to tell the Information Support guy how to do something under Windows that he wasn't aware of. Four days after I was hired! Within two weeks I was completely comfortable using Windows (except for that silly mouse design and other poor UI choices, but that's another matter). Now I have a reputation as a computer genius. I just hope it's reflected in my paycheck.

"Crossing Platforms" is, as the title of this review hints, as far from a "Dummies" book as you can get. It starts by assuming that you're an intelligent person who simply doesn't have the experience on one of the world's two major computer operating systems.

Much of what you want to do on a computer is possible under either Mac OS or Windows-- after all, they were built to manipulate files, send and modify information, etc.-- but there are different terms and some different ways of treating the information. In other words, you know the music, but not the words. "Crossing Platforms" will allow you to make the paradigm shift and use what you've spent years learning. It helps you avoid the pitfalls and gotchas, and is laid out in a manner which makes it easy to reference. In short, twenty-four of the best dollars I've spent recently.