Who would want to write a book about QuicKeys? C’mon, it’s just a little utility program from CE Software that makes macros like Apple’s old MacroMaker program. Besides, who would buy such a book?
You should. You and anybody else who is interested in getting the most out of their computer.
And who else but Peachpit Press would publish such a book? Nobody. But that’s what’s fun about PeachPit Press. It goes against the grain, kicking sand into the face of stodgier publishing houses.
Peachpit is a lot like Apple used to be: a fun company that doesn’t mind taking risks.
But once you dive into The Little QuicKeys Book, you’ll realize it was little risk. QuicKeys is an amazing tool. It is no MacroMaker. Not even close.
You’ve heard of programs that should be part of the Macintosh operating system? Put QuicKeys at the top of the list.
I used to be a strong supporter of Tempo II, a nice little macro program from Affinity Microsystems. But like most of CE Software’s other products, QuicKeys excels past such competition. It is the must-have of must-haves.
If CE Software is smart, it’ll throw out the QuicKeys manuals and, instead, include The Little QuicKeys Book. At the very least, CE should include a card for a considerable discount on the book or give it out as a prize for returning the registration card.
Macintosh users won’t have the power to be their best until they have QuicKeys and QuicKeys users are not going to reach their full potential until they read this book.
Why is The Little QuicKeys Book so good? Because authors Steve Roth and Don Sellers have fun with their Macs and they believe in QuicKeys. They’ve built a cult, even a full-blown religion around this little software package that started out as a utility to go along with DiskTop, another excellent CE Software product.
This attitude is evident in nearly every Peachpit Press book. Peachpit has this attitude that its authors should have some room to move. Writers can take pot shots at the programs, manuals and companies they write about. I like this policy because it gives the reader a comfortable feeling. As I read a book like The Little QuicKeys Book or The QuarkXPress Book, it’s like the authors are sitting there with me, discussing the ins and outs of the program. Roth and Sellers actually argue while they write. Like all Mac users, the ways they accomplish things on their computers differ.
For instance, when discussing Button QuicKeys, they write: “Don has a few Button QuicKeys in his Universal Keyset just because he doesn’t use DialogKeys often. Steve uses DialogKeys.”
The book’s first four chapters are an indoctrination of QuicKeys. It’s like going to Sunday School to learn how to worship and revere before you actually enter the sanctuary and approach the altar. Being very up-to-date, The Little QuicKeys Book includes strategies for installing QuicKeys for both System 7 and previous versions. In these early chapters, you’ll read about QuicKeys’ many strengths and few weaknesses. In fact, the authors question why anybody would be reading a book about QuicKeys, then go on to explain in full detail:
“What is QuicKeys nirvana? It’s increasing your efficiency, going home early, mesmerizing your boss with flying fingers and flashing screens, feeling the heady pride of capturing the potential speed that’s been lying dormant within your Mac. Ultimately, like any good nirvana, what you find when you achieve it all depends on what you’re after.”
Chapters 5 through 13 get down to the nitty-gritty. While these chapters are the most manual-like sections of the book, they continue to lead you down the path of QuicKeys righteousness. You’ll learn about amazing QuicKeys extensions that will let you stuff and unstuff documents using QuicKeys. You’ll be changing printers on your network with a keystroke that bypasses the Chooser.
And you’ll learn a whole lot of cool System 7 stuff. An entire chapter deals with System 7 and QuicKeys, including application switching, filing sharing, taking advantage of Apple Events and other great uses. Well, not all are great: “Never let it be said that CE doesn’t give you options,” they authors write. “There’s a QuicKey to turn balloon help on, one to turn it off and one to toggle it on and off. What an abundance! Unfortunately, we don’t use any of them because we find balloon help more of a marketing gimmick than a real feature.”
Chapters 14, 15 and 16 move away from theory and toward practical uses. What good are QuicKeys if you can’t remember where they are and how they can help you? Our two QuicKeys gurus explain how life as they know it exists because of QuicKeys and hope some of their knowledge will rub off and help you survive, even strive.
The final five chapters are application-specific. If you don’t have Microsoft Word or Excel, Aldus PageMaker, Claris FileMaker Pro or QuarkXPress, you won’t have much use for these closing words of wisdom. If you use any or all of these packages, this is bonus time. As a QuarkXPress user, I liked some of the authors’ ideas, though most of them I’d already filled using ResEdit.
One problem I had with The Little QuicKeys Book is that it is so well-written, so useful, that I would run across something really cool, stop reading, jump over to my computer and try it out. Then I’d play around with it for awhile, trying to improve on the idea and, generally, not getting any work done.
You get the idea. The Little QuicKeys Book is an idea book, a starting line, a diving board for real computing power.
Non-profit computer users group have full permission to reprint this article providing the author and the Mid-Columbia Macintosh Users Group in Tri-Cities, Wash., are fully credited and a copy of the newsletter in which the article appears is sent to:
