Lynda.com deserves its good reputation as one of the most prolific training video sources around. Learning OS X 10.3 with Sean Blumenthal was my first experience with a Lynda.com training video and I was thoroughly impressed.

It is so simple it will cure any new Mac user's anxiety about learning Apple's powerful OS X. There is no need to view the list sequentially, so the viewer stays motivated by learning things they need to know right away. Take understanding how fonts work in OS X. It is a very different management system and very complicated for new users. Blumenthal covers this topic very well. After completing the eight hours, the new user will know all the basic information for managing fonts and understanding Panther OS X 10.3.

The topics are basic and provide a lot of information. Sean Blumenthal gets a good grade for not just educating, but creating a sense of confidence in the new user. The tutorial delivers what it promises to its target audience. It is for the learner who prefers a visual and a hands-on approach. They learn by watching and doing.

Topics:
- Why Apple Based OS X on Unix
- Using Windows
- Copying/Moving/Deleting Files
- Using the Dock
- System Preferences Explained in Detail
- Using Speech Recognition
- Printing
- Installing/Uninstalling Applications
- Getting Online
- Using Internet Explorer and Safari
- Services and OS X's Firewall
- Mail, iChat AV, Address Book, and iSync
- Sherlock

This training video is a must for every beginner using OS X 10.3 but not worth the eight hours for those already familiar and comfortable with OS X. I hope they are working on one for Tiger—OS X 10.4 soon to be released. We're all going to need it.

I give this CD-ROM-based tutorial 5 out of 5 apples.