Discover Safari’s Finer Details in “Take Control of Safari 6”
Sure, nearly anyone can get around well enough on the Web in Safari. But Apple has been improving Safari for years, and it has a treasure trove of features that most people never notice. No one ferrets out those features — and their shortcuts, where available — better than Sharon Zardetto, and she’s back with “Take Control of Safari 6” to make sure you can use Safari faster, smarter, and better than ever before. (Because, to draw an analogy, wouldn’t you rather confidently stalk the Serengeti’s big game with your long lens than be a bumbling tourist in a jouncing Land Rover?)
You’ll start your advanced Safari education by customizing your environment, especially its toolbar, bookmarks, and top sites. Then you’ll explore key browsing techniques, including how to access sites you’ve visited in the past quickly, load multiple Web pages at once, and sync open tabs among your Apple devices. You’ll also find advice on how to go beyond the basics for searching both the Web in general and any page you’re viewing, fill out forms automatically, manage stored passwords, keep pages around to read later, and discover the most worthwhile extensions that expand Safari’s feature set. “Take Control of Safari 6” offers 143 pages of detailed research and
testing for only $10.
(Note that Safari 6 runs in 10.7 Lion and 10.8 Mountain Lion, but its feature set is slightly restricted in Lion, and Sharon points out the differences. If you prefer 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.5 Leopard, “Take Control of Safari 5” is still available.)
Specifically, in “Take Control of Safari 6,” you’ll learn how to:
- Load any link into a new tab or window, or into your Reading List.
- Organize your enormous bookmark collection.
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Unearth a page in your history, even it’s not bookmarked or in your Reading List.
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Read a multi-page, ad-ridden article in a reader-friendly layout.
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Prevent snoops from tracking where you’ve been on the Web.
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Update a password that Safari has stored.
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Learn how to make Safari fill in most forms for you.
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Expand too-small text fields for easier typing and editing.
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Add pages to your Reading List for later perusal, whether online or offline, and even on a separate device.
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Block ads, zoom images, show passwords as you type, and more with helpful Safari extensions.
Remember that TidBITS members can save 30 percent on any Take Control order, whether for a single ebook or more than one. To place your 30-percent-off order, go to the Member Benefits page (log in via the nav bar if necessary), and click the orange Take Control banner.
There are two "tricks" that I've taught to Firefox that have held me "hostage" to that browser: 1) keyword quick searches and 2) custom search engine extensions. (I also use FireGestures and Tab Mix Plus to make it behave as I want, but I'm guessing there are similar Safari extensions that I can find if I look hard enough.)
Does this Take Control book address these features (assuming they're available; which is something I've not been able to learn via web searches)?
Firefox's keyword capability is pretty nifty; I mentioned it as one of my favorite things about it in a Macworld article recently. No, Safari doesn't do that, nor can it embed search-engine extensions.
s.