New computer setup

install.markdown

New Machine

Updated this for the first time in awhile in late 2020.

System Preferences

• Enable iCloud
• Disable iCloud mail
• Display to medium
• Turn up trackpad speed
• Trackpad to light
• Turn up keyboard repeat speeds
• Caps lock to escape
• Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls
• Disable Touch Bar typing suggestions
• Require password after 5 seconds
• Turn on FileVault
• Turn on firewall

Safari

• Disable password and credit card auto fill in Safari
• Show full address
• Enable developer tools
• Enable status bar

Download from web

• 1Password
• Alfred
• Creative Cloud
• Dash
• Figma
• Google Chrome
• Linear
• Sketch
• SketchUp
• Sonos
• Transmit
• VS Code
• Xcode

Download from App Store

• Contrast
• Day One
• Deliveries
• Final Cut Pro X
• Logic
• Pixelmator
• Redacted

Finder

• Show status bar
• Sort by name in all folder
• Desktop sort by grid
• New Finder window opens Home

Notes

• Turn up font size to the middle option

Terminal

• Turn up font size to 15
• Hide marks

Developer

• Install dot files

   $ cd ~
   $ git init
   $ git remote add origin https://github.com/soffes/dotfiles.git
   $ git pull origin main
   $ ~/Scripts/install.sh
  

• Install Homebrew

   $ /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   $ brew install zsh git rbenv python redis postgresql ffmpeg imagemagick node
   $ brew services start postgresql
   $ brew services start redis
  

• Install Ruby

   $ rbenv install 3.0.2
   $ rbenv global 3.0.2
   $ gem install bundler
  

Menu Bar

• Remove flag
• Remove AirPlay
• Hide day of the week

Music

• Disable song notifications

Messages

• Disable sound effects
• Turn on iCloud messages
• Turn on read receipts

Mail

• Discard messages to Archive
• Change default send from account

Eric, thanks for the awesome comment.

Can't stand tap to click. Good call on removing Growl.

• I like Alfred a lot. I bought PowerPack and I really like it. I didn't really like Launchbar. I recently switched to Alfred from Quicksilver. It is 100% awesome.
• I like Wallet. I got it in MacHeist awhile ago. It's pretty and simple (the opposite of 1Password). Their iPhone app is great too.
• I was the first person to get CloudApp's pay account. I'm a big fan. Totally worth it.
• My biggest Rails project doesn't work in 1.9.2 (it's a client app) otherwise I would do it. I actually install both and just choose 1.8.7 for now. I have REE on Heroku for that app, so I use that version.
• I do use Terminal. I do Monaco 12 in every editor as well as Terminal. I just copy the default them and change the font. I leave everything else the same. I know iTerm is a little faster, but I like Terminal better.
• TimeMachine and an external in my fireproof safe.
• I don't use Charles that much. It's great for debugging stuff that doesn't have a console. I used it the most when I was doing websockets stuff. It's also great for lots of network snooping (say you want to use the Google Reader undocumented API)

Hey Eric, sweet comment! A lot closer to my setup actually (except I love CloudApp and was using some Pro features—eg. custom domain—before it was a public thing; totally worth it)… :)

I'm curious: Notifo has a desktop app? And how can I forward my Notified Pro notifications to it? :o Thanks. :)

Also, iTerm FTW :)

Never mind, found the desktop app: http://notifo.com/desktop :)
Thanks for letting me know about it… :D

Notified Pro != Notify Pro... It's rather confusing..

http://is.gd/hYKIZ

Oh and yea, they have a desktop app. It's just a simple notifier.. User/pass and that's it.

Oh, gotcha!!
Wish the desktop app (Notifo) could run without the menu item (just a daemon at startup)… :\

Check out the linux python script then. I'm sure it could be modified to use growlnotify. Throw it into Lingon and you're iconless.

Or you could set the menu icon to a transparent png and call it a day.

Thanks for the tips Eric. :)

Thanks Sam for sharing this. The part about turning brightness made me laugh. That is totally how you do it.

@andwang haha you and your barely readable colors and brightness :P

@samsoffes DUDE: I do the exact same thing every time I use someone else's computer!!!! I don't understand how anyone can work on any Apple screen without full brightness!!!!

Sam, I've since been converted . I am turning my brightness to 100% since you and I chatted.