Setting up on a Mac

setup-mac.md

General

Hard Drive Encryption

Encrypt your hard drive by activating FileVault in System Preferences > Security & Privacy. A recovery key will be generated which will allow access to your encrypted hard drive in the case of a forgotten password. Store this key securely (do not select the option to store your key with Apple).

Dev Environment

1. Install Homebrew:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

2. Install VS Code

Download at https://code.visualstudio.com/

Open VS Code, press ⇧Shift ⌘Command P, and type shell command to run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH. (more info / pictures)

3. Install Git with bash completion:

brew install git bash-completion

Once that's finished, open your .bash_profile in VS Code.

code ~/.bash_profile

If you don't have a .bash_profile yet, this will create a new file. add the line from Homebrew to finish installation:

[ -f /usr/local/etc/bash_completion ] && . /usr/local/etc/bash_completion

Then save your changes.

4. Install Node

brew install node

5. Install the N node version manager

npm install -g n

6. Install the Long Term Support release

n lts

node --version

should now return the version you selected.

GPG

Install GPG Suite

Set up GPG Suite

Download, install, and run it (the app: GPG Keychain Access).

Generate your PGP Key

The first time you run GPG Keychain Access, it will prompt you to generate your key. The default settings are good, don't forget to check the "upload to keyserver" box. Try to use a secure password, but not one you will forget. If you lose your password, it is impossible to recover. Consider using a password manager.

Download other peoples' public keys

When you're finished, you'll have only your keys in GPG Keychain Access. To be most effective, you'll need some other PGP keys. From the Key menu (in the very top, Mac menu bar), select Search for Key....

Type bitpay.com and click search. When the results are returned, simply press Retrieve Key to import the PGP keys of all BitPay employees. Now you can send encrypted emails to any member of the BitPay team.

Get familiar with PGP

Explore the key listing in GPG Keychain Access. Learn about PGP key signing, and trade signatures with some other people to build your key's "Web of Trust".