Category: Books

Books Update — 2025

It’s been a while since I wrote about my books. Life has been tugging me in different directions (in a good way, overall). Things are going well, overall, but there was always this nagging feeling that I really should do something about the books. They were getting a bit… well… old…

If you follow this blog, you may have noticed a few posts about packaging recently:

If you are a proud owner of my book “Packaging for Apple Administrators” (thank you very much!) these posts should seem somewhat familiar. It has been nearly nine years since I first published “Packaging” and even though it really held up well, it was in desperate need of some updates. More than merely updates, really. Many of the examples not available online anymore. Seriously, some of the examples are to inspect the iTunes and Silverlight installer pkg…

Surprisingly little has changed in the process of actually building packages, so those sections of the book hold up pretty well. But the environment in which packages are used and deployed on macOS has changed. Quite a lot. GateKeeper and Notarization were new and optional, just a few years ago, but now are a core part of Apple’s security strategy on macOS. Bundle package installers, which I covered in a “legacy” appendix in “Packaging” were completely disabled in macOS Sequoia 15. Imaging Macs with NetInstall was still a thing when I originally wrote the book and how to use and prepare installer packages for those workflows took up some space.

Distribution packages were only required in edge cases for Mac admins. Now they are often (but not always) required to work with device management servers.

On the other hand, back then I did not have any experience with the developer side of packaging. Since then I have written about building tools and apps and integrating the packaging (and signing and notarization workflows) in Xcode and Swift Package Manager. These are workflows that are useful to developers, but less so for Mac Admins.

So, I am happy to announce that I have started the work of updating “Packaging.” It’s a work in progress, and I do not want to commit to any timeline yet. However, I plan to continue to share the progress by posting sections on this blog as I update them.

What will happen to old, outdated “Packaging for Apple Administrators” you might ask? Well, I am going to remove the book from Apple Books in two weeks or so. If you really want to own a copy of this old version, this will be your last chance to purchase it. I didn’t want to remove the book without warning. But, honestly, most of you really don’t have to buy the old version anymore, since I will be posting parts as I update and rewrite.

(If you want to buy a copy to support me, don’t do that on Apple Books. The standard 30% of that revenue will go straight to Apple and honestly, they have enough money. There is now a better way, but more on that later.)

In two or three weeks time, I will remove all books, except “macOS Terminal and Shell” from Apple Books.

If you have purchased the book, it should remain available for you in your library, but maybe make a backup to be sure.

I have spent a few days updating “macOS Terminal and Shell” for the current state of macOS. Since this is my latest book and well, the command line situation hasn’t changed very much since Apple switched the default shell to zsh, there wasn’t much to change. I will keep that book on Apple Books and update it as soon as the new version passes Apple’s review. If you have already purchased “macOS Terminal and Shell” you should get the updated version as soon as I have uploaded it. You should then see a notification in the Books app.

I am also starting a new experiment: you can also purchase “macOS Terminal and Shell” on Ko-Fi. (might be more familiar as “Buy me a Coffee“) This is an experiment and new to me, so apologies if there are some rough edges. This should work if you do not want to or cannot purchase on Apple Books.

Also, I get a larger share of the proceeds. And, should you desire to, you can even pay more than the suggested price. (though, really, no-one has to)

As I said, this is a test run, and I am very curious how it goes. I am excited that this should expand the audience for whom the book is available. (Apple Books is not available in many regions, like India and China.) If the experiment works out for this update of “Terminal and Shell” then I will definitely consider this for “Packaging 2.0” and future books, as well. (I have plenty ideas, but so little time)

Book Update for Big Sur – Moving to zsh v5

I have pushed an update for the “Moving to zsh” book.

Since I have also published a new book “macOS Terminal and Shell” last month, you might be wondering whether you need both books, or just one.

“Moving to zsh” is the book where I documented my journey from using bash in Terminal on macOS to using zsh. Before Apple announced that they would switch from bash to zsh as the default shell with macOS Catalina, I used bash “because it was the deafult.” In this book, I describe how to move from bash to zsh. Because of this, “Moving to zsh” is aimed at a user who is already conformtable using Terminal with bash and is wondering what the change means and how to get some extra features and productivity out of zsh.

“macOS Terminal and Shell” is the book for those that have no or little experience with using Terminal and probably don’t even know why bash or zsh matters. Or maybe you have a bit experience, but just don’t feel comfortable because you have the feeling you are not quite understanding what is going on. This book will teach you to use Terminal and the shell with confidence, and it will show how you can configure it to be more productive. Since zsh is the current default shell on macOS Catalina and Big Sur, we will focus on zsh, but explain differences to bash where necessary.

As usual, the update to “Moving to zsh” is free if you have already purchased the book. You should get a notification from the Books application to update. (On macOS, I have seen that it can help to delete the local download of the book to force the update.)

If you are enjoying the book, please rate it on the Books store, or even leave a review. These really help, thank you!

The changes are listed here. This list is also in the ‘Version History’ section in the book. There, you will get links to the relevant section of the book, so you can find the changes quickly.

  • Updated list of other books with ‘macOS Terminal and Shell’
  • Added the vared command (variable editor) as an alternative to read
  • Many typos and other minor corrections and clarifications

Book Update – Moving to zsh v3

I have pushed an update for the “Moving to zsh” book.

Just a few changes and fixes that have accumulated over the past two weeks. Much of this has been from feedback of readers. Thanks to everyone who sent in their notes.

The update is free if you have already purchased the book. You should get a notification from the Books application to update. (On macOS, I have seen that it can help to delete the local download of the book to force the update.)

If you are enjoying the book, please rate it on the Books store, or (even better) leave a review. These really help, thank you!

Also, please recommend the book to friends, co-workers, and anyone else (not just MacAdmins) who might be facing the zsh transition as they upgrade to Catalina.

The changes in v3 are listed here. This list is also in the ‘Version History’ section in the book. There, you will get links to the relevant section of the book, so you can find the changes quickly.

  • Added a section explaining how to work with upper- or lower-case strings in zsh scripts
  • Added a section explaining the differences in the read built-in command
  • Clarified the section on Connected Variables
  • Fixed file names in the table for Configuration Files and added a note for how to use configuration files with python environments
  • As usual, several typos and clarifications (Thanks to many readers)

Book Update – Moving to zsh v2

I have pushed an update for the “Moving to zsh” book.

The book is barely two weeks out but I had a few more things to add. The nice thing about self-published digital books is that they can updated quickly and often. I expect more updates over time as I continue to learn more about the subject.

As usual, the update is free when you already own the book.

If you have already purchased the book, you can go to Apple Books application on your Mac and choose ‘Check for available Downloads…’ from the ‘Store’ menu. I have seen the Mac Books app be really slow (or even completely blind) in picking up updates, you can accelerate the process by removing the local download and re-downloading the book. In iOS tap on your iCloud account icon next to ‘Reading Now’ and then choose ‘Updates.’

If you have not yet purchased the book, go get it on Apple Books!

The changes are listed here, but you can also them in the ‘Version History’ section in the book. There it links to the relevant section of the book, so you can find the changes quickly.

  • Learnt about is-at-least and updated ‘Sharing across macOS and zsh versions,’ accordingly
  • Added a section on zmv
  • Added a note to keep changes to the PATH variable up-to-date across multiple shells
  • More feedback from proof readers. (Thank you!)

If yo have read and enjoyed the book, please leave a review on the Apple Books store!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale

It is Thanksgiving week in the US, which means that all real-world and online retailers are luring buyers with all kinds of crazy sales.

Here at Scripting OS X, I keep the book prices low all year round. My latest book “Moving to zsh” is US$9.99 all the time.

I also just permanently lowered the price on “macOS Installation.”

Nevertheless, starting today and up to Dec 3, I will also put “Packaging for Apple Administrators” and “Property Lists, Preferences, and Profiles for Apple Administrators” on sale!

And not just for US readers, but on all regions where the books are available in the Apple Books store!

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Book Release Day: Moving to zsh

My new book: “Moving to zsh” is now available on the Apple Books Store!

The book should be useful for anyone who uses macOS Terminal and is wondering what the change of the default shell in Catalina means and how to best handle the transition. The book describes the motivation for Apple (and the user) to “move to zsh” and how to get the most out of the new shell.

It is based on the series of blog posts that I posted from June through August, but reworked and expanded with more detail and more topics. Some of the information from my MacSysAdmin presentation also made it into the book.

The blog series added up to about 11K words, and the book, in its current form, is more than 22K words. Compared to the series, I have added images, movies, clarifications, more examples, and several new sections and appendices.

This books explains:
– why Apple is changing the shell
– implications for infrequent and expert Terminal users
– how to move from bash to zsh
– configuring zsh to be more productive
– moving scripts from bash to zsh

And this will certainly not be the end for “Moving to zsh.” Like my other books, I plan to update and add to it after release as well, keeping it relevant and useful.

This is my first book that is not targeted mainly at MacAdmins. I believe this book will be useful for any Mac user that uses the Terminal frequently: Developers, web admins, scientists, and other power users. Please help spread the news by sharing this post and the book link with friends, co-workers, and across social media. Thank you!

Go get “Moving to zsh” on the Apple Books Store!

Book update: macOS Installation v5

There is a new update to my book “macOS Installation!”

It contains lots of updates regarding Catalina, and the usual list of typos and other fixes.

As usual, the update is free when you already own the book.

If you have already purchased the book, you can go to Apple Books application on your Mac and choose ‘Check for available Downloads…’ from the ‘Store’ menu. I have seen the Mac Books app be really slow (or even completely blind) in picking up updates, you can accelerate the process by removing the local download and re-downloading the book. In iOS tap on your iCloud account icon next to ‘Reading Now’ and then choose ‘Updates.’

If you have not yet purchased the book, I have good news for you: I have lowered the price!

Why did I lower the price? Let me explain…

This is the fourth update for “macOS Installation.” It might be its last.

When I first published the book in June 2018, I promised updates until the Mojave release. There have now been two updates beyond that: one for the Mojave “Spring” update, and another one for Catalina.

The format of the book had the original intention to help MacAdmins learn about and deal with the strange, new post-imaging world that came with the High Sierra and T2 Security chip. I like to believe it did that quite well. But since then, the releases of Mojave and Catalina have added more layers of complexity and information on top of that.

The post-imaging world isn’t new anymore. It is still strange, complicated, and sometimes hard to navigate. However, I feel that the book’s format would have to change to keep being a useful guide. Obviously, such a re-structuring is a massive effort and would pretty much result in a new book. Maintaining and updating a book is a lot of effort, re-writing it even more so.

Thus the decision that this might be last update for “macOS Installation.” Depending on how disruptive the changes in the Catalina “spring” update will be, I might update for those, but I am not planning to update the book for 10.16 next year.

I might work on some new book on macOS deployment and management in the future. However, I have a few other topics I want to publish before I do that, so that might be a while.

Charles Edge’s and Rich Trouton’s new book should be a great successor to “macOS Installation”:

  • Rich Trouton’s and Charles Edge’s “Apple Device Management: A Unified Theory of Managing Macs, iPads, iPhones, and AppleTVs”: pre-order on Amazon US, UK, DE (Affiliate Links)

“macOS Installation” should remain useful for the life time of Catalina, which, depending on your deployment practices should be another one to four years, more if 10.16 and 10.17 do not drastically change everything again.

Readers who bought the book 16 months ago got several updates for free. I believe free updates are one of the great value propositions of self-published digital books. Most computer related information changes quickly these days and being able to update digital books is a great way to extend their lifetime, usefulness, and value.

My plan to not further update for “macOS Installation” thus lowers its value a bit, and to reflect that I am lowering its price in the store.

That said, I am convinced the book is still very helpful and full of useful information as it is, so if you have not bought the book yet, this is your chance!

Changes in this version (you can also find this in the book in the ‘Version History’ section):

  • added “Moving to zsh” to More Books and updated links to new Apple Books format
  • extended the explanation on FileVault and the Secure Token
  • added Catalina System Volume Layout description
  • added instructions to block the macOS Catalina download
  • added an explanation for the expiring installer certificates from October 2019
  • updated download links for Older macOS Versions
  • added notes to NetBoot-based Installation regarding its further demise and the removal of System Image Utility from Catalina
  • added information on new softwareupdate features in Catalina to macOS Installer Application
  • added a section on new Catalina features
  • added a description of new stub Installer application behavior with startosinstall
  • added link to new SecureToken documentation
  • updated text and tables to reflect the 2019 iMacs
  • clarified reboot behavior of Mojave and High Sierra with Custom Packages
  • added a list of MDM commands that require DEP
  • now using the term ‘conventional’ Macs to refer to non-Secure Boot or pre-T2 Macs
  • many typos, minor changes and clarifications

New Book: Moving to zsh

You might have seen this coming. My next book will be called “Moving to zsh” and will cover the new default shell on macOS and how to switch to it from bash.

It is based on the series of blog posts that I posted from June through August, but reworked and expanded with more detail and more topics. Like my other books, I plan to update and add to it after release as well, keeping it relevant and useful.

The book is progressing nicely, but not yet ready. I have put it up for pre-order on the Apple Books Store.

There is a lot of interest on the topic since the release of Catalina and I wanted to let everyone know, that after the blog series, a hands-on training class, and my presentation at MacSysAdmin, I still have more to add to the topic. I set the expected release date to December 31, 2019. “Before the end of the year.” (Like the Mac Pro.) I have hope that it will be done sooner than that, but we will see.

When I have more information, you will, as always, read about it here.