An Eclectic Mind

It’s here in record time.

Not bad for free shipping. I just placed the order on Wednesday. That’s less than a week. I think that the more you spend at the Apple Store, the more likely they are to get it delivered to you quickly.

The computer I ordered is a 15″ MacBook Pro. Here are the specs, right from the confirmation e-mail I received moments after placing the order.

MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 - 1 SO-DIMM
100GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Widescreen Display
Apple USB Modem
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth
AppleCare Protection

This is my latest Mac test mule, destined to a life of leisure, sitting quietly, powered off, waiting for me to call it into action to run software while I write a Mac book or article.

Although the more I think about it, the more I think I might want to use it a tiny bit more often. Heck, when I spend that kind of money on a computer, I want to get my money’s worth.

It arrived in a brown box that was surprisingly lightweight. The FedEx Ground guy brought it to my office, even though it was addressed to me at my house. This is Wickenburg and there’s just one FedEx Ground guy. If he knows where you’ll be during the day, that’s where he’ll bring brown boxes from computer companies. Oddly enough, he wasn’t quite sure where I’d be and seemed relieved when I opened the door and he recognized me.

“I couldn’t remember which apartment you were in,” he admitted.

This didn’t surprise me. I don’t use FedEx Ground very often because they usually can’t find my house. I think this guy had been tipped off about my apartment-based office by the FedEx overnight guy. Neither of them like taking their trucks down the road to get to my house. And they like making a U-Turn in my driveway even less. UPS is the same, although I had to put a stop to them delivering my stuff to the airport.

“If there’s a red vehicle in spot number 18, I’m here,” I told him.

I signed for the computer and he went on his way. Then I left it by the door so I wouldn’t forget to take it home with me.

Yes, that’s right. I didn’t open it right up. That shouldn’t surprise you too much. It took me a whole week to open my PC laptop when I bought it two months ago or so.

Why? Well, I’m busy. Today I revised Chapter 8, the last chapter, of my Excel 2007 Visual QuickProject Guide. I had a bad headache all day and it was hard enough to keep my mind on my work without being distracted by a brand new Mac.

When the chapter was done and I called it quits for the day, I carried the computer out to the Jeep with a few other things that needed to go home. Jack the dog was with me. He jumped in and we started out. I had to stop at the post office on the way home. And then pay a visit to Dr. Saxby.

Dr. Saxby is a chiropractor. But unlike the chiropractor I once visited regularly back in New Jersey for my sciatica, when Dr. Saxby adjusts you, you don’t need to visit three times a week. You go once and he cracks you all over the place, leaving you feeling like … well, like shit. The next day, though, you feel great. He put me on the roller table, where the rollers rolled up my back. Then, on the adjustment table, he cracked every joint in my body — including my toes. Another patient, who had taken my place on the roller table, let her dogs wander around the office. A third patient, a man, was holding one of the dogs on his lap when I emerged, sweating and exhausted.

Jack the Dog and the new computer were still in the Jeep when I came out.

We went home. I picked up the mail along the way — our mailbox is about 1/4 mile from the house. My royalty statement from Peachpit was among the big envelopes. All 67 pages of it. Sheesh. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the books in the statement earned money at once?

Finally, I could wait no longer. I went back outside and got the computer box. I opened the box and found a smaller box, wrapped in plastic, nestled in foam corners. I pulled it out and stowed the foam corners back in the brown box.

Apple has incredible packaging. It makes you want what’s in the box. That in itself is odd when you consider that the boxes are never displayed where the computers are available for sale. So that beautiful packaging is obviously intended for the end user, a kind of gift that’s meant to be opened and kept. I guess that’s why I still have the boxes for all the Apple equipment I still own. They take up a lot of space in the back corner of my hangar.

Nestled inside, in custom-carved white foam, was the computer and it’s accessories, including the power supply, video adapter, external USB modem, and Front Row remote control. There was also a flat square box that had a tiny manual, Restore DVD, and a bunch of warranty stuff I’m sure I’ll never read.

The computer looks remarkably like my 12″ PowerBook. It’s just a lot bigger. That’s unfortunate. What I really wanted was another 12″ PowerBook with the new processor and a bigger hard disk. I found the 13″ MacBook tempting because of its size, but was completely turned off by the cheesy feel of its case.

Of course now that I’ve shot my load on a 15″ MacBook Pro, Apple will probably release the computer I really wanted to buy. My luck, you see.

I opened the lid and pushed the power button. The computer bonged to life. It then went through the video thing it does right after you install Mac OS X. When it was finished welcoming me in every language known to man, I went through the configuration process. From power on to running and connecting to the ‘Net took all of three minutes — most of which was spent on that silly welcome video stuff.

The computer appears to be loaded with iLife and iWork software. I expected iLife, which I already have on disk, but not iWork. There are some demos, too. And an app called Photo Booth, which I’d never seen before. This is the first Front Row-compatible computer I’ve bought (timing is everything) and it’s a good thing I bought it. When I revise my Mac OS X book for Leopard, I can include coverage of Front Row. I guess I’ll have to learn how to use that remote.

Mike came home as I was taking a photo using the built-in iSight camera. He got in the picture. It’s now my icon throughout the system. Oddly enough, I can’t figure out where it’s stored on the hard disk, although I do know how to change it.

Software Update popped up, telling me I needed about 700 MB worth of upgrades. Later on, after dinner, I plugged in the computer — I really do like that magnetically attached power cord — and let it suck updates off the Internet. It was still working on it when I went to sleep.

Why I need to order a new Mac.

I write books about computers for a living. That’s a blessing and a curse.

It’s a blessing because I get to buy new computers and related hardware (like cameras and scanners and printers) and software to keep up with technology. I can write most of this stuff off as business expenses because I actually need them to get my work done. Some of this stuff is really cool, so using them is almost like playing with new toys. I also often get prerelease software, so I can work with it before anyone else.

It’s a curse because I have to buy new computers and related hardware. I don’t get most stuff for free. And because I often have to buy new hardware right after it comes out — when the prices are highest and their problems haven’t been identified yet — they’re costly and sometimes problematic. My goal is always to buy a computer that’ll last at least three years so I don’t have to do this too often.

And if you think working with beta software is fun, try running Office 2007 on Windows Vista four months before the scheduled release dates. Not only did I have to buy an expensive computer just to run this software on — Vista has some pretty serious system requirements for all those pretty graphics — but I have to struggle to work around bugs and incompatibilities caused mostly by unavailable driver software updates.

I have three computers I use for work, as well as a laptop for business and home use:

• My production Mac, which is currently a 2-year-old Dual G5 tower, is the computer I sit at when I’m writing. It has a 21″ Sony monitor (the old, heavy CRT type) which is really great when I’m doing layout on Visual QuickStart Guides and Visual QuickProject Guides. It also has all the built-in and attached equipment I need to get my job done, including three printers, a scanner, and numerous mobile devices like cameras, digital video cameras, iSight cameras, external hard disks, and more.
  
• My Macintosh test mule, which is currently a 3- or 4-year-old G4 eMac, is the computer I run software on when I’m writing Mac books and articles. I like the all-in-one design of the eMac and the price when I bought it was within reason. When I bought it, it had the bare minimum I needed to get the job done: a G4 processor (at the time, G5 had just come out), a SuperDrive (because I often need to write about creating CDs and DVDs), built-in modem, networking capabilities, and adjustable screen resolution. When I went wireless last year, I installed an AirPort card. This computer was the machine I used to run beta Mac OS software for my Panther, Tiger, Word 2004, Excel 2004, WordPress 2, and QuickBooks 2006 books. Maybe even my Jaguar book, although I admit I can’t remember that far back.
  
• My PC test mule, which is currently a Dell Latitude D820 laptop, is the computer I run Windows software on when I’m writing Windows books. (The computer recently replaced a 4-year-old Dell Dimension tower, which was really showing its age.) This computer is loaded and it isn’t by choice. As mentioned earlier in this entry, I needed souped up graphics and a fast, modern processor (or two?) to run Vista with the Aero Glass effects. It has a CD writer but not a DVD writer, although it will read both. (This became a rather ironic thing when I downloaded the Vista beta from Microsoft’s Web site and had to use my Mac to create the DVD I needed to install Vista on my PC. It worked. Of course.) I’m hoping this computer, which cost me a small fortune, will last at least four years.
  
• My business/personal laptop, which is currently a 12″ PowerBook G4, is the machine I keep at home and take on the road with me. It’s used for e-mail and blogging these days, although I sometimes use it for podcasting. And, every once in a while when I need to do a presentation, I plug it into a projection monitor and do demos. I love the size and configuration of the computer, although I admit that the 40GB (really 37 GB, but who’s counting?) hard disk is a bit small. I recently had to offload a bunch of music and podcasts just to make room for some other stuff. And with only 640 MB of RAM and 867 MHz of processing power, it sometimes slows to a crawl when taking on heavy-duty tasks like sound conversion and iMovie visual effects. I also noticed that its fan starts more frequently than usual these days, like its always hot and bothered.
  

Why all these computers? Well, I’ve found that the best way to write about a software product is to run two computers side by side. The test mule runs the software I’m writing about. My production Mac runs the software I’m using to write — normally InDesign or Word. I perform a step on the test mule, take a screenshot if necessary (which is automatically dumped over the network to my production Mac), and write about what I see on my production Mac. Not only do I have the benefit of seeing what I’m writing about as I write, but I can keep that test mule in pristine condition. In fact, it’s common for me to reformat the hard disk and reinstall all system and application software I need to write about each time I start a new project. I really do use those two computers just for work.

I used to buy a new production Mac every two years and a new personal laptop every three years. Earlier this year, however, when my production Mac was only a year and a half old, the motherboard went on it. I faced a tough decision: fix it (at a cost of about $700) or put that money into a brand new Mac and throw this one away. But it still had a lot of life in it and there wasn’t anything really better to trade up to. So I fixed it. And life went on. It’s still serving me faithfully, running all the software I need to run. Keep in mind that I don’t update software unless I need to — for example, I’m still using Photoshop 7 (don’t laugh!) and InDesign CS (not CS2).

I can usually get 3 to 4 years out of a test mule. My old PC test mule lasted about 4 years (at least). I think the G4 might be close to 4 years old now, too. I basically keep using them until I have to upgrade — in other words, until the software I need to run needs more processing power than an old mule has.

Every once in a while, the moon and stars align in such a way that I need to buy two (or, heaven forbid) three computers all around the same time. This is one of those years. I absolutely had to get a new PC to run Vista with the Aero Glass effects. I went with a laptop because I’m trying hard to downsize my office and make it something I can take on the road. A laptop test mule is just the thing. Close it and stick it on a shelf when I’m not using it. Throw it in a bag when I decide to get some work done on the road. Why the hell didn’t I think about that before?

Of course, I do hate the keyboard on the Dell PC — it’s so awkward after years of typing on the PowerBook’s wide open keyboard. And I had to buy a wireless mouse for it, mostly because I can’t seem to find the right track pad drivers for use with Vista and the track pad tracks very slowly, no matter how I set it. But I don’t use the computer every day (and hope I never need to) so it really isn’t such a hardship. And the video on that machine really is incredible. It should be, considering it’s the newest in my stable.

As for the Dell Dimension tower…well, I still have it. It runs Windows XP and as soon as I’m done with these two Windows books I’m working on, I’ll use the laptop’s restore disk to bring it back to factory settings. That’s when I’ll be donating the PC tower, along with its ancient Gateway monitor, to my local library.

And the stars have also told me that I need a new Mac test mule. Why? I’ll need to run Leopard, the upcoming version of Mac OS X, pretty soon now. While I’m not sure whether it’ll run on a G5, I’m pretty sure it won’t run on a G4. And besides, I have to write about Boot Camp and that’s going to require an Intel processor Mac.

So that’s why I need to buy a new Mac — to run the upcoming new stuff.

In keeping with my downsizing plan, I decided that I wanted to get a Mac laptop. After struggling and finally succeeding in understanding the differences between a MacBook and a MacBook Pro, I decided on a MacBook Pro. 15″ monitor, 1 GB RAM, SuperDrive (need to write about iDVD a bit), 100 GB hard disk. This is going to be one hot computer.

Which makes me wonder…will it replace the 12″ PowerBook G4?

Part of me says no: a test mule is a test mule. It sits in my office, turned off, waiting to run software I’m writing a book or article about. It doesn’t get personal data files; its hard disk is often reformatted and restored to factory settings — or at least the current OS.

But I admit that it’s going to be hard to keep using this G4 when I have Core Duo (is that right?) processor laptop with almost twice the RAM and more than twice the hard disk space and processor power sitting around, waiting for me to tickle its keys. I’m actually kind of hoping that I don’t like its keyboard, so I won’t want to use it more than I have to.

But there’s no way in hell that I’m buying two new Mac laptops this year.

We’ll see what happens. Need to make the big purchase first.

Some information about what I consider to be the “perfect setup” for writing books about computers.

I’ve been writing computer how-to books since 1990 (13-1/2 years at this point). I just finished #55 the other day. Do the math and you’ll see that I average about 4 books a year. (My biggest year was 10; my smallest was 1.)

I write all of my own books, with a few exceptions here and there. For example, I didn’t write the Unix or AppleScript chapters of my Mac OS X Visual QuickPro Guides — I lacked the expertise and didn’t have time to learn. I also co-authored two of my books. But other than that, I wrote them all and will continue to do so until I find someone who has skills that meet my standards.

As you might imagine, my writing setup is an important part of what makes me so productive. I like to tell people that I have it “down to a science,” and I think I do. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to earn enough money over the years to build what I think is the ideal setup.

I have three computers that I work with with when I’m writing a book: my “production machine,” and two “test mules.”

Currently (November 2003), my production machine is a Macintosh G4/866 minitower. It’s about two years old at this point. It has 512K of RAM and a 40GB hard disk. It also has a built-in modem, SuperDrive (that’s a drive than can read and write CDs and DVDs), and Zip drive. It also has all the standard Mac OS ports (USB, FireWire, Ethernet, etc.), as well as a SCSI port, which I thought I’d need but never have used. The computer is connected to a 21-inch Sony monitor and an array of USB and FireWire devices, including a scanner, Epson photo printer, digital camera, graphics tablet, iSight, digital video camera, and iPod (original).

I have two test mules, one for my Mac OS books and one for my Windows books.

My Mac OS test mule is an eMac 800 with a SuperDrive, built-in modem, bunch of RAM and 80GB hard disk. I’m really fond of this machine — it’s a great machine for someone with limited space who doesn’t need a lot of expansion or bells and whistles. And frankly, it’s a lot more “normal” looking than those ridiculous ET-looking iMacs that Apple is selling like crazy. It has a 17-inch monitor and can be hooked up to all the devices I need to write about in my Mac OS X books. It’s about a year old now.

My Windows test mule is a Dell Dimension 933Lr (or something like that). What can I say about it? It’s a Windows PC running Windows XP Home edition. It has a built-in modem and networking card and some kind of Pentium processor. Enough RAM, although I can’t remember how much. And enough hard disk space. It’s hooked up to a 17-inch Gateway monitor that I kept from my last Windows test mule, a Gateway PC. I think this Dell is about three years old now.

All of my computers, as well as my LaserJet 2100TN printer, are hooked up to an Ethernet network. They do file, Internet, and printer sharing using the built-in networking tools in Mac OS X and Windows XP.

My Internet connection comes from my old G3/300, which was my last production machine. It’ll soon be my Web/E-mail/DNS server, connected to the Internet with a cable modem. It feeds Internet to my three desktop computers, plus my PowerBook (when it’s added to the network) and Mike’s Sony Vaio (when he’s in town).

Here’s how it works. Suppose I’m writing a book about Mac OS X. I fire up the eMac test mule, reformat the hard disk, and install the Mac OS X software on it. I also install Snapz Pro, which is the best screen shot software out there for Mac OS X. Then I fire up my production G4 and open the file for the chapter I’m revising or the template for the chapter I’m writing from scratch. When I’m writing a Visual QuickStart Guide, I use InDesign 2.0; otherwise, I use Word X. As I work with the software on the eMac, I write about it on the G4. The two machines are sitting right next to each other and I can swivel in my chair to work on one or the other. I take screen shots on the eMac and copy them from the pictures folder, which I’ve opened on the G4, to my manuscript folder. If the screenshots need editing, I do it with Photoshop 7.0. If I’m doing layout, the screenshots get copied into the manuscript file. I add captions and callouts as necessary. Using this technique, I can turn out a completed manuscript page for a revision in as little as 10 minutes, if very little editing is required. For brand new titles, it takes 30 to 60 minutes for a page. On a good day, I can whiz through a chapter in a day or two.

The whole thing works pretty much the same when I’m writing a Windows book, except I use the Dell test mule and don’t reformat the hard disk before starting. I have to use two different screen shot software packages, because neither one does everything I need: Collage Capture and HiJaak Pro. And the shots always need to be touched up a little in Photoshop on the Mac. The process is generally slower, but not by much. Frankly, I don’t like writing Windows books, but my setup doesn’t have that much to do with it. I just don’t like working with Windows.

I believe that some authors write computer books with only one computer. They write, then switch to the program they’re writing about, fiddle around with it, take screen shots, then switch back to the program they’re writing in. (A very well-known author that I’ve often traded stories with confessed to me that he once wrote a book about Windows software by running the software under SoftPC on his Mac. Is he nuts?) With computer prices being well within the realm of affordability these days, there’s no reason an author should subject himself to such abuse. Two computers — one to work on and one to run the software on — are required, along with a network connection between them. I have three because I write about two different platforms.

By the way, if you were to peek into my office these days, you’d find quite a collection of computers. In addition to the G4, eMac, and Dell, you’d find the G3 that will soon be my Web/E-mail/DNS server and the old 8500/180 that’s currently my Web/E-mail/DNS server, still running on an ISDN connection. The 8500 was my production machine before the G3. (Before that was a 7100/66, which my sister now has. Before that was a Mac IIcx, which is long gone.) On my desk, you might also find my 12-inch PowerBook G4, which replaced my iBook SE, which replaced my PowerBook 3400c.

A production Mac lasts me about 2 years, although the G4 will probably last me another year — there’s no reason right now to replace it; it’s doing its job quite well. I replace each production machine with a current model Macintosh that isn’t top-of-the-line, but has enough RAM, speed, and hard disk space to last a few years. Test mules are good for 3 to 4 years. I replace them with low-end models that can run current operating system software and connect to the hardware I need to write about. I usually pump up their RAM enough to ensure that they operate smoothly. Laptops are good for about 3 years; I hope this PowerBook lasts longer because I really like it. My average annual expenditure on computer hardware is about $5,000, which really isn’t bad.

I don’t buy the latest and greatest gadgets unless I need to write about them. The iSight camera is a perfect example. I needed to write about iChat AV, so I bought a compatible camera. My AirPort wireless network, which lives at home when I’m not writing about it, is another good example. I bought it to write about it. Once or twice a year, I disconnect it and bring it to my office, where I reconnect it and write about it. Only one of my computers — the PowerBook — has AirPort networking built in. I don’t mind wires in my office, but its kind of nice to connect to the Internet at home from the kitchen, living room, den, bedroom, or back patio — without needing a really long cord.

The other thing I need to mention is that I don’t spend long hours “playing” with my computers or surfing the ‘Net. I have a life away from my computers that I enjoy. Computers are tools I use to make a living. Although I find them interesting, I think the other things I do with my life are far more interesting and fulfilling. My PowerBook is the only computer I spend non-working hours with. It’s my notebook, my tool for writing. And since I occasionally do that for pleasure, it makes sense to keep it handy, even when I’m not working.

Like right now.

Thoughts and insights on a tough revision and the computer book publishing industry.

My last entry was pretty depressing. I was under a lot of stress to get the book done. Now that it’s done and the stress is gone, I’m feeling much better. The book is nothing short of a masterpiece, if I do say so myself, and I’m extremely pleased with it. We (Peachpit Press and I) got a lot of feedback from readers about previous editions. It seemed that my VQS wasn’t considered “good value for the money” because it didn’t have as many pages as other competing books. What most people didn’t consider was that VQSes are traditionally short (around 300 pages). Mine was actually long at about 400 pages. And it was considerably cheaper than the other books. But I guess if you calculated price per page, I probably fell a bit short of the competition. And I can’t deny that buying two books (a VQS and a VQP) does cost readers more money. In defense of Peachpit, the idea behind that strategy is that not all readers need all that information and we could provide affordable books tailored to two markets. But that’s not how reviewers saw the situation.

That said, we decided to combine the two books into one title. The resulting “Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Visual QuickStart Guide” is about 670 pages long and features 20 chapters and over 2,000 screen shots. Topic range from the most basic basics (like how to point and click) to Unix commands. The price tag is an extremely competitive $29.95 US, making it a very good value. If this book doesn’t please readers, I don’t think any book will.

Writing the book was a bit of a challenge. First, there was the merging of the content from two books. What do we include? What do we exclude? Not much. The biggest casualty was the AppleScript chapter written by Ethan Wilde, which was replaced by an AppleScript basics section in the Applications chapter. (Those interested in AppleScript really ought to buy Ethan’s book!) Almost everything else that was in my Mac OS X 10.2 VQS and VQP remained in this edition.

Of course, everything has been updated for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. That was the second challenge. Not just the update, but merging information about new features into existing chapters. Where do we discuss each new feature? Chapter 4, which is available as an excerpt from my Web site , got quite a few new pages. So did the i-Applications chapter, which was expanded to cover iCal and iSync (neither of which was available when I wrote the Mac OS X 10.2 VQS last year). The only chapter that got trimmed down a bit was the installation chapter. I cut out the info about installing Mac OS 9.2, since that information appears in the Classic Environment chapter.

There was a lot of pressure to finish the book on a timely basis. Timing is everything in the computer book publishing world and when a hot new product hits the market, publishers want their books out first. Trouble is, authors have to work with beta software, which often changes on a weekly (if not daily) basis to get the book done timely. Mac OS X 10.3’s beta software was available for about two months before the software was finally released. But the beta software changed. Any author who wrote about early versions of the beta wrote some stuff that isn’t right.

Want some examples? The first beta or two included a Print command under the Finder’s File menu. That command disappeared before I could try it out. Those first betas excluded a Favorites folder in the Sidebar. Sometime in the middle of the beta process, the Favorites folder reappeared. Then, near the end, it disappeared again. It was almost as if Apple wanted to kill favorites, thought they would get a lot of negative feedback, and then decided “to hell with the bad feedback” and killed it. (But favorites aren’t really gone, as you’ll discover when you read my book.) Icons changed, too. Internet Connect’s new icon didn’t appear until halfway through the beta process. Any screenshot of that icon taken before the beginning of October will be wrong.

So here’s the situation: publishers want the book written quickly. Once the book is written, it has to be laid out, proofed, edited, and printed. For most publishers, this is where time is lost. From the moment the author hands over the last manuscript chapter and TIFF files to the time the book appears in print, two or more months may have gone by. So do the calendar math: if the author waits until Gold Master of the software — on or around October 15 in this case — to finalize the draft manuscript, the book can’t possibly appear in stores until December 15. So what do authors do? Under pressure from publishers, they finalize before Gold Master. As a result, their books contain inaccuracies.

Peachpit and I don’t work this way. We have a remarkable arrangement. I do layout as I write, so I submit fully laid out pages as I work. My editors mark up this draft manuscript and I update pages as the software is changed and I get edits. As a result, when the software went Gold Master, we already had fully laid out pages for about 3/4 of the book. I wrote and laid out the rest the following week. This made it possible to send our completely accurate 650+ page book to the printer only three days after the software’s release date. I expect to hold a copy of the finished book in my hands by November 14 — just three weeks after the software’s release.

Any book that makes it to stores before mine can’t possibly be based on final Mac OS X 10.3 software. It’s just impossible. And that’s not an author’s fault. It’s the fault of publishers who don’t trust their authors to do layout. Peachpit trusts me and I don’t let them down.

Next on the agenda, Excel 2003 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide. Another revision — but this one should be a piece of cake.

Sometimes I feel like a machine.

Pardon me, but I’m about 2/3 of the way through the largest Visual QuickStart Guide I’ve ever written. This is book #55 and the sixth or seventh (I’ve lost count) edition of my bestselling Mac OS VQS for Peachpit Press.

The first edition covered Mac OS 8, years ago, and it was an instant bestseller. People were hungry for books about the new Mac OS software and mine was the only book available at Macworld Expo (although in limited quantities) when the software went on sale. It was three weeks before the second book came out. That was a nice competitive advantage.

The book went through some changes throughout the year. It got fatter and fatter with every edition until we decided to split it into two books, a Visual QuickStart Guide (VQS) and a Visual QuickPro Guide (VQP). The VQS got skinny all of a sudden, then started to fatten up again. The Mac OS X 10.2 edition is about 370 pages and the corresponding VQP is about 350.

Simple math should have told me that when we recombined the two books into one big fat VQS, the resulting book would be VERY FAT. I’m estimating about 650 pages right now. I was wondering a while ago why this book was taking me so long. It’s because I’m really writing two books that’ll fit between one set of covers.

And I do feel like a machine. I have the VQS thing down to a science. Two computers, one to work with the software on (an eMac “test mule”) and one to write on (a G4 “production machine”). A network connection dumping screenshots into my production machine. InDesign and Photoshop running all the time. Templates, libraries, style sheets. I can produce a page from scratch in about 30 minutes (if I don’t have to take time to figure out what I’m doing) and can revise a page in about 15. I’m a machine.

And I’m very tired. Burned out. Sick of taking screenshots and laying out captions and callouts.

I start work at 6 or 7 AM and work until I’m done with whatever I’m working on. Sometimes that means working until 6 or 7 PM. That’s a long day. But most days, I quit by 4 PM. Then I go home and try not to think about computers.

But I do admit that I still get a thrill out of seeing a good book in print. A “good book” is a book that I feel that I’ve done my best on. This book will be a good book. Well, at 650+ pages, it’ll probably be a GREAT book. And a real bargain for readers.

More another time. I’m going home.