Setup My Mac

• Current Silicon Used: Apple M1
• Current OS X Version Used: Ventura 13.1

This repository holds my scripts, configuration files, notes, etc. for the rare occasion of setting up a new Mac for myself. You will find in here:

• My customizations to various system preferences
• A script to
  • Install a considerable amount of software I use
  • Remind of software I need to install manually
  • Setup my terminal theme
  • Setup various dotfiles and configuration files I use via chezmoi.

Initial Setup

I follow these steps immediately after I first boot up a new Mac and go through the initial setup it presents:

• Apply any system software updates.
• Apply any App Store updates for pre-installed software.
• Remove any unwanted applications from the dock.

System Preferences

Here are the various customizations I make to the default system preferences.

General

Date & Time

• Turn on 24-hour time.

Language & Region

• Set First day of week to Sunday.
• Set Date format to YYYY-MM-DD.

Sharing

• Local hostname > Edit and provide a better hostname.

Appearance

• Set Appearance to Dark.

Desktop & Screen Saver

• Add the ~/Pictures/wallpaper directory to the Folders list and select it.
• Check Change picture and set the drop-down toEvery 30 minutes. Repeat for each monitor attached.
• Check Random Order. Repeat for each monitor attached.

Desktop & Dock

• Adjust Size to feel comfortable based on the screen size.
• Set Minimize windows using to Scale effect.
• Turn off Automatically hide and show the Dock.
• Turn off Show recent applications in Dock.

Control Center

• Set Bluetooth to Show in Menu Bar.
• Set Focus to Always Show in Menu Bar.
• Turn on Battery > Show Percentage.
• Set Menu Bar Only > Spotlight to Don't Show in Menu Bar.
• Set Menu Bar Only > Siri to Don't Show in Menu Bar.
• Turn on Menu Bar Only > Clock > Clock Options > Use a 24-hour clock.

Siri & Spotlight

• Turn off Ask Siri.
• Uncheck all the items under Spotlight.

Wi-Fi

• Click the Details button next to the desired network(s) and go to the DNS entry.
  • Clear out any existing entries in DNS Servers.
  • Add these DNS servers instead in this order:
    • 1.1.1.1
    • 8.8.8.8
    • 8.8.4.4

Installation Script

./setup-my-mac.sh

This bash script performs the following tasks in order:

• Install Homebrew.
• Use Homebrew to automatically install various software you would otherwise have to manually install (see Brewfile for list).
• Setup fish shell to be the default shell.
• Install the oh-my-fish package manager.
• Use oh-my-fish to install any fish shell packages and the gitstatus theme.
• Create the directories ~/github.com, ~/Pictures/wallpapers.
• Remind me of any other software I need to manually download and install.
• Use chezmoi to install dotfiles and configuration files.

The script endeavors to only perform a step if necessary. e.g., It attempts to detect already installed software to prevent trying to inst all it again.

What I Use

Utilities

Name	Description	Installation
Homebrew	OS X package manager used to install software	See latest instructions on homepage. setup-my-mac.sh has those instructions as of last check-in.
wget	Utility for retrieving files via HTTPS, etc.	Homebrew
autojump	Utility for quickly changing to previously visited directories	Homebrew
youtube-dl	Utility for downloading videos from YouTube and other streaming sites	Homebrew
ssh-copy-id	Utility for installing SSH keys on a server	Homebrew
Jumpcut	Clipboard manager	Homebrew Cask
Caffeine	Prevents your Mac from automatically going to sleep	Homebrew Cask
VeraCrypt	Disk encryption software	Homebrew Cask
LastPass	Password manager	Homebrew Cask
FileZilla	FTP client	Manual
f.lux	Adjust the screen colors based on time of day	Homebrew Cask
MacVIM	Text editor	Homebrew Cask
xbar	Put the output of a script into your menu bar	Homebrew Cask
iCalBuddy	Command-line utility that can be used to get lists of events and tasks/to-do's from the OS X calendar database	Homebrew
rbenv	Manage installed versions of Ruby on your machine	Homebrew
Hammerspoon	LUA based automation tool	Homebrew Cask
chezmoi	Manage your dotfiles across multiple diverse machines, securely.	Homebrew

Alternative Terminals, Shells, Fonts

Name	Description	Installation
iTerm2	My preferred replacement for the OS X terminal program	Homebrew Cask
fish shell	My preferred shell these days	Homebrew
oh-my-fish	Package manager for fish shell used to install themes and fish shell related utilities	See latest instructions on homepage. setup-my-mac.sh has those instructions as of last check-in.
JetBrains Mono Font	Programmer friendly font	Homebrew Cask

Programming IDEs

Name	Description	Installation
PHPStorm	JetBrains IDE for PHP development	Manual
GoLand	JetBrains IDE for Go development	Manual
WebStorm	JetBrains IDE for JavaScript development	Manual
DataGrip	JetBrains IDE for SQL / database development	Manual
XCode	Apple development	App Store

Web Browsers

Name	Description	Installation
Firefox Developer Edition	Version of Firefox geared towards developers	Homebrew Cask

Chat & Social Media

Name	Description	Installation
Slack		App Store
Discord		Homebrew Cask
Tweeten	Twitter client	Homebrew Cask

Entertainment

Name	Description	Installation
Battle.net	Blizzard gaming client	Manual
Steam	Platform for a variety of games	Homebrew Cask
GOG Galaxy	Platform for older games	Homebrew Cask
VLC	Media player	Homebrew Cask

Finance

Name	Description	Installation
Quicken Deluxe	Keep track of financial accounts	Manual
H&R Block Tax Software	Tax preparation & filing	Manual