[3][4] In July 1992, TidBITS launched the first Internet advertising program,[5] based on the PBS sponsorship model.
TidBITS is published by Adam C. Engst, author of a number of computer books, including four editions of Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, Eudora for Windows & Macintosh Visual Quickstart Guide, and five editions of iPhoto for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide, along with a number of books in the Take Control series.
Excerpts of the Take Control books can be downloaded free of charge, and some have been published in Macworld magazine.
[9] The series includes many books for using and upgrading the various versions of Mac OS X[10] and iPhone software;[11] applications such as Apple Mail[12] and iTunes; and general technology such as wireless security and choosing a digital camera.
[13] In 2017, TidBITS sold the Take Control Books imprint to alt concepts, a company run by the author Joe Kissell.