macOS tools checklist
Welcome to the mac world
Wether you’re new to macOS or an user coming from different machines, the tools we tend to use is very important to be productive.
Here you’ll find my list and what I install on a fresh machine to get started.
System tools
First and foremost, I start with
brew to handle all my
packages, but instead of doing so manually, I use my
dotfiles
and my “magic” install script that does all the heavy lifting for
me.
Keyboard tools
I use a TypeMatrix with a Colemak layout and also the internal keyboard of my laptop with its default layout. Colemak layout is available on a fresh macOS install but it is far from perfect as there are a lot of missing dead keys (to type accented letters mainly), so I start by installing the layout provided on this page: Colemak mac
To easily switch between the two and get almost the same feeling, I use Karabiner Elements.
Everyday tools
- sdkman: to manage installation of various sdk (mainly Java based)
- iTerm: nice terminal app with profiles
- tmux: multi terminal in one window, switching terminal with a keystroke
- zsh: Z-Shell
- starship: fast shell prompt
-
ripgrep:
faster
grep -
bat: nice
catalternative (with paging / highlighting) -
exa: replacement for
ls - Alfred: Spotlight with more features, this is my main app launcher / switcher
- SetApp: App subscription service, use many tools from this (BetterTouchTool, iStat, BarTender…)