Chapter 1. Getting Started

Back at the turn of the millennium, Apple came out with a suite of Internet tools called iTools, which consisted of a e-mail address as well as KidSafe (a filter for child-friendly Web sites), HomePage (an easy-to-use tool for building Web sites), and iDisk (20 MB of online storage that was accessible using just about any Internet connection). Apple's Internet strategy basically boiled down to a nifty set of Mac-only tools meant to make Mac users' online lives a little easier.

Fast-forward half a dozen years. The tools are no longer free and the name has changed iTools now goes by .Mac (pronounced "dot mac")but the goal remains the same: make Mac users' online lives easier. With a mac.com e-mail address, iDisk, and HomePage still at its core, .Mac now also includes tight integration with Mac OS X, as well as a host of other features, all for just $99 a year. Sounds expensive until you look at it this way: It amounts to just 27 cents a day. If you're like me, you can find that under your couch cushions, along with a few stale snacks.

In this chapter, I'll show you how to create your .Mac account, set your .Mac preferences, manage your .Mac account, and set up your iDisk.