macOS setup¶

A setup guide for programmers, etc., on Windows.

Initial setup¶

First, upgrade macOS by running

softwareupdate --install --all --agree-to-license

Enable FileVault, and remove unneeded Login Items.

Reminder

Remember to save your encryption key!

Install Homebrew and update it: brew update && brew upgrade. Install a few extra Linux utils and the text editor Sublime:

brew install ssh-copy-id coreutils git bash zsh
brew install --cask sublime-text

And a couple of small things:

Show hidden files:

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true \
  && killall Finder

Show filename extensions: Do this in Finder ➤ Settings ➤ Advanced.
In Finder, add your home folder to the SideBar: File ➤ add to sidebar.
Finder ➤ settings ➤ Advanced ➤ Show all filenames.

Configure your shell¶

Follow: Shell setup .

`brew-refill` alias¶

Run this to add a brew-refill command:

printf '
alias brew-refill="brew update; brew upgrade; brew cleanup; brew doctor"
' >> ~/.commonrc

From that, you can run brew-refill to update Brew and its packages, and to fix problems.

Note

Although Homebrew only recommends running brew doctor if there’s a problem, chances are you’ll eventually need to run it, so it’s not a bad idea to deal with those issues immediately rather than to accumulate a daunting stack of issues to fix simultaneously later.

Git, SSH, and GPG¶

Install a version of OpenSSL (actually LibreSSL) that will receive updates: brew install libressl. The OpenSSL version in macOS by default was seriously out-of-date when Heartbleed was made public, and took a long time to get patched.

Also install GPG and the GitHub CLI:

brew install gnupg gh

Next, follow: Shell setup .

Java, Rust, and Python¶

For Rust, just install the Rust toolchain.

For Java, download JDK 21 LTS from Temurin (or a newer non-LTS version if preferred). Do not use Java 8, java.com, or OpenJDK. Make sure it’s on your $PATH by checking the version via java --version in a new shell.

For Python, install and use uv. You don’t need anything else – and you really shouldn’t use anything else. Make your life easier: (1) Leave your system Python alone, (2) don’t install Python via a package manager, and (3) install and use Conda/Mamba only if necessary.

Generate a certificate¶

If you need a certificate, set a static IP address and generate a certificate with certbot. Choose “None of the above” for Software. Then follow the instructions exactly, including the “Automating renewal” section. This may not work through some company and university firewalls.

_[LTS]: Long-Term Support _[JDK]: Java Development Kit

Thanks

Thank you to Cole Helsell for drafting this guide with me.