As a developer, what changes or installs, do you make on a vanilla OS X system?

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/350492

Question

As an example these are some of the things I always do when starting a new machine:

  1. Install 'Visor' - gives you an always available HUD style terminal window via F1.
  2. Install 'Clix' - run a million system customization command line instructions.
  3. Install 'Default App' - self explanatory.
  4. Set 'Terminal.app' to open and be hidden automatically on login.
  5. Install 'Inconsolata' font and set it as default font for Terminal and Text Edit.

Only after those basic steps are taken can I start in on the more personal stuff.

So, what are the essential steps you take when faced with a blank macSlate?

NB: Yes, this question is inspired by @Roddy's question targeting the Windows platform.

UPDATE: This is great, thank you! Some very interesting answers so far.

Concrete Results: I am now a MacPorts convert, and my Terminal uses standard word left, word right, key command behavior...

UPDATE 2: I forgot to mention Charles, the greatest debugging http proxy app in the world (IMHO). It's shareware and 100% worthy of the name.

Was it helpful?

Solution

Here's a few I use that haven't been mentioned so far:

System Configuration

Useful Defaults

Other Software

  • HardwareGrowler (free)
    • Set up with the Bezel style an no dock icon (see above link for instructions). I love this little utility.
  • AntiRSI (free)
    • Saves you from yourself.
  • OpenTerminalHere (free)
    • Great mini-app that opens a Terminal in the directory of the current Finder window.
  • MacVim (free)
    • My favorite general purpose editor.
  • xScope (commercial)
    • Great tool for any kind of UI work.

Xcode Configuration

  • Place build products in ~/Build
    • Keeps everything in one easy cleanable place, and makes inter-project dependencies work.
    • Optionally put Intermediate Build Files in ~/Build/_Intermediate to keep it even tidier.
  • Check 'Automatically insert a closing "}"' if it isn't already
  • Set organization name
    • defaults write com.apple.Xcode PBXCustomTemplateMacroDefinitions '{ORGANIZATIONNAME = "Yoyodyne Industries";}'
  • Code Completion (I think these were the defaults in earlier versions)
    • Check 'Show arguements in pop-up list'.
    • Check 'Insert argument placeholders for completions'.
    • Select 'Automatically Suggest: With Delay 0.50 seconds'

OTHER TIPS

If you come have a Linux background MacPorts (gentoo like) or Fink (apt-get like) are indispensable. You cal install all familiar utilities just like you would on a normal Linux machine.

OS X specific development related applications I always install on a new machine are :

Install Xcode, iPhone SDK, TextMate.

Add Terminal, XCode, TextMate to the dock.

Remove iMovie, iDVD, ... icons from the dock.

Add word left and right in Terminal.app:

http://blog.macromates.com/2006/word-movement-in-terminal/

First thing for me is set case sensitive filesystem. No way I'm ever going to run a UNIX derivative without it.

I install PostgreSQL and Eclipse, well I did at my previous work where we used Macs.

Then I removed all the unnecessary icons from the Dock, and put my work ones there, and Terminal.

I also installed Pages, it's a nice document editor for documentation uses.

I install X11 and the Xcode tools, then grab MacPorts and use it to get doxygen, windowmaker and probably a few others. I download OmniGraffle, and get UML templates from GraffleTopia. OmniOutliner is also a requirement; and finally I get WarBlade for a bit of fun ;-)

Oh, these days I also grab scan-build from the clang site, though I haven't used it consistently enough yet to remember that the first time I answer.

I just did this recently. I installed:

  • Adium
  • Firefox
  • Developer tools
  • Mercurial
  • SubEthaEdit

My essential apps:

  1. Quicksilver - App launcher that I could not live without
  2. BBEdit and TextMate - Both are great text editors for programmers
  3. Perian - Adds support for many more video formats to Quicktime
  4. Flip4Mac WMV - Adds support for Windows Media formats to Quicktime
  5. Skim - Excellent PDF reader
  6. Yummy FTP - Probably the best FTP client for mac
  7. Google Notifier - Automatic e-mail alerts in the menu bar
  8. Letterbox - Widescreen Mail.app plugin
  9. info.xhead - Secure personal database software
  10. Little Snitch - Monitors incoming & outgoing network connections
  11. VMWare Fusion - Windows virtualization

Xcode and Eclipse are no-brainers.

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