TackyShirt Mac OS X: The Basics DVD By Fabian Westerwelle Editor-in-Chief 08/05/03

Manufacturer: TackyShirt Suggested Price: $39.99 (Sample lesson: TackyShirt.com) Minimum Requirements DVD player or a DVD equipped Macintosh.

Last week in the mail I received the first disk in a long chain of training DVD's from TackyShirt. I visited TackyShirt's booth at MacWorld NY 2002 and it was one of the most popular booths around. TackyShirt promises computer training that is fun, and educational with the help of Bob Levitus, Shawn King, Andy Ihnatko, and John Welch. All of them well known members of the Mac community, they each add their individual personalities to the DVD. Check out tackyshirt.com/starring.html for some mini bio's.

Well the first DVD looks great from the get go with a nice illustrated menu screen. The first thing to check out is the introduction of the 'crew' members, it's entertaining and lets you see what the five are all about (this includes Sam Crutsinger, the president of TackyShirt). From here you can go on to any of the chapters which cover the basics of Mac OS X.

These include the Dock, Mouse, What's Different? (between OS 9 and X), Classic, System Preferences, the Finder, Printing, Folder Structure, Internet Setup, Basic Maintenance, Home Networking, Books & Magazines, and Web Resources. The lessons are presented in 16:9 anamorphic wide-screen format and run for about 15 minutes each; yielding four hours of total training.

Each lesson is presented by two of the four hosts who talk about each type of topic. Examples are presented by means of scaling the video of the hosts, or using props on set. Often graphics are also used to explain certain concepts. Such as Cable broadband access, versus DSL.

This first DVD centers around the beginning user. Giving the 'newbies' (which includes switchers from OS 9 to X as Shawn mentioned indirectly) a basic overview of what each part of OS X is all about, and how to use it. The "Dock" for example covers how the Dock works, how it can be manipulated under it's settings, and how items are managed inside the dock. Basic stuff.

In addition to over-viewing basic parts of the operating system, several lessons also cover specific subjects. Such as setting up a printer and printing, or setting up a home network. These chapters keep it simple as well, by again covering mostly the basics. The network chapter, for example, covers the type's of broadband internet connections (DSL or Cable); and overviews how Airport works, in addition to what hubs, switches, and routers are and how they work in general.

In the latter parts of the DVD the hosts give tips on where to find more information about Mac OS X. The "Books & Magazine" chapter as well as the "Internet resources" chapters provide extra sources of information. In the "Books & Magazines" section Andy Ithako makes sure to give his employer, MacWorld magazine, a plug, but the DVD and Andy himself proceed to make fun of this.

Even though this DVD is for the beginners, there's definitely one thing or another in it for the more experienced users. The lessons can be informative and often provide small tips that aren't generally included in beginner tutorials. The "What is different?" lesson, for example, gives several third party solutions to bringing back some of the features of OS 9 that were lost in X (the Apple Menu for example).

Additionally all the lessons include tips, and some of them reveal several keyboard shortcuts that aren't too widely known. I ended up learning something new in most of the DVD chapters, but it's not worth the money if you're already sufficient in OS X; unless you want...entertainment.

What really makes this DVD attractive, and different from other tutorial DVD's, is the entertainment value. The hosts, wearing tacky shirts, sit on a couch in front of a jungle backdrop. Pretty original if you ask me. In addition all the lessons are very well edited. Visual effects pop up in various places on the screen. While talking about balloon help, for example, messages appear above the hosts' heads, or a small Macintosh icon decides to appear in obscure places during the lessons. In addition to the visuals, sound effects are very effectively thrown in the mix (a talking moose, for example, adds quite an interesting ending to the "What's different?" chapter).

The hosts act very natural and often throw their own experiences into the mix. Additionally none of the chapters seem scripted and the hosts interact nicely with each other (even when Shawn decides to call John a "rat bastard". Now that's what I call entertainment).

In conclusion, this DVD is perfect for all of those just starting with the Mac, and those of you that are switching from Mac OS 9 to OS X. In other words, it's for all of those who want learn how to get started with Mac OS X without risking falling asleep. (Additionally, this might also be for you if you're one of the ones who likes to listen to, more or less, famous Mac personalities talk about technology. You know who you are.)

Rating: 10 out of 10 Mac Faces.

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