Ask HN: Must have tools for a new MacBook

26 pointsby nothrowaways4 tahun yang lalu33 comments

Hey HN,

What apps should your new Mac have.

I will go first:

- sublime text

- tunnel blick

- thunder bird

- vlc

34 comments

torqu3e4 tahun yang lalu

$ brew list -1

  ==> Formulae
  bash
  bash-completion
  bat
  flyctl
  kubectx
  kubernetes-cli
  mosh
  ripgrep   # way better grep
  starship  # awesome terminal prompt
  wget
  
  ==> Casks
  aldente   # stop your mac from charging beyond a configurable charge level
  bitwarden
  brave-browser
  ears      # switch audio source/output quickly
  kitty     # awesome terminal
  raycast   # spotlight/alfred replacement
  rectangle # window manager (successor to the unmaintained spectacle)
  shottr    # screenshotting app
  signal
  spotify
  stats     # hardware stats in the menu bar
  visual-studio-code
  vlc
  zoom

https://github.com/jaywcjlove/awesome-mac is a list of all the cool stuff you could need on a new mac organized by category.

kratom_sandwich4 tahun yang lalu

Homebrew Package Manager

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebrew_(package_manager)

Maybe XCode Developer Tools

https://mac.install.guide/commandlinetools/index.html

Also for me: Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Office, Latex

maurits4 tahun yang lalu

My two cents:

- Alfred (super charged application launcher)

- Dash (API Documentation Browser)

- Karabiner (key remapping)

- Keyboard Maestro (Automation tool)

- SizeUp (window manager)

- iTerm2

- 1Password (Password manager)

Inspiration:

[1] https://works-for-me.github.io/

[2] https://usesthis.com/

[3] https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/my-mac-os

unknownaccount4 tahun yang lalu

Karabiner-elements is a good one. There is a script that adds the middle-mousewheel hold to drag scrolling like on Windows.

jpozo4 tahun yang lalu

These are the ones I use the most

-Notion for note taking

-TickTick for to-do (though I'm currently developing my own to-do app)

-Fig for autocomplete in the terminal

-iTerm with zsh and ohmyzsh

-f.lux for eye care

-Hazel to dim windows other than the current active

-Alfred as spotlight replacement

-CleanShotX for screenshots and recording

-CommandQ to have a timer if you accidentally hit Cmd + Q

-1Password as password manager

-aText for text shorcuts

-Menuwhere to get the menu of the current app with a shortcut

-Hookshot for window management

-ColorSlurp as color picker

-EasyFind to search for files and folder

-Calibre to read epub and ebooks and manage books library

-Contexts as window switcher (Cmd + Tab replacement)

-DaisyDisk as disk space usage calculator

-Fork as git client (Tower and GitKraken are pretty good too)

-Postman as http client

-Rocket for easy emoji access

-TinkerTool modify macOS preferences not visible in user preferences

-VLC as video player

-VOX as music player

-VS Code and JetBrains Rider for development

kspyy4 tahun yang lalu

is there any advantage of using f.lux over the native nightshift these days?

kingkongjaffa4 tahun yang lalu

Applet to keep your screen awake, owly is what I use: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/owly-prevent-display-sleep/id8...

Magnet for window management

Iterm2 for terminal

Zsh and oh-my-zsh for nice looking terminal and easy ways to change theming etc.

Here’s the list from when I got mine:

Things installed on new MacBook:

- Spotify

- Xcode tools

- Vs code

- iterm2

- Home-brew

- Zsh and ohmyzsh

- Emacs (mainly for org mode)

- Firefox

- Chrome

- Node

- Steam

- Python 3.10

- R language

JLCarveth4 tahun yang lalu

Why do you need a third party tool to keep the screen awake? You can do so from System Preferences. Also zsh is preinstalled.

cercatrova4 tahun yang lalu

Magnet is deprecated, use Rectangle which is open source.

michelb4 tahun yang lalu

Magnet is not deprecated. It just got updated about a month ago.

unknownaccount4 tahun yang lalu

There’s a simple thing called “Show Desktop.app” which does as the name suggests. I created a shortcut on the desktop in the far right corner with an invisible icon and Unicode whitespace name, so that now I have a “show desktop” button in the bottom right corner of my screen just like windows. Can’t live without it.

JLCarveth4 tahun yang lalu

There is a trackpad gesture for this as well.

unknownaccount4 tahun yang lalu

The built in gesture/hot corner thingy doesn’t work the same way. The built in method “shows your desktop” but doesn’t minimize all the open windows like Windows does.

ZeroGravitas4 tahun yang lalu

Karabiner for key remapping, and Goku for making it nerdy and text based rather than GUI and XML:

https://www.swyx.io/karabiner_lindquist

kevinherron4 tahun yang lalu

Just set up a new M1 last week.

IntelliJ, git (and Xcode tools), VS Code, Wireshark, KeyStore Explorer, Divvy, Homebrew, fish shell, maven/gradle, Parallels.

Usually iTerm2 but trying to give Terminal.app another chance.

mwint4 tahun yang lalu

Why are you trying to go back to Terminal.app?

kevinherron4 tahun yang lalu

Because I can't answer the question "Why did I start using iTerm instead of Terminal.app?" any more.

_aavaa_4 tahun yang lalu

Better touch tools is a must. My computer feels broken without it. https://folivora.ai/

The same with Alfred.

ahmaman4 tahun yang lalu

Some of the apps I download on a fresh mac.

==> Casks

1password

anki

bartender

bitwarden

brave-browser

calibre

cryptomator

deepl

docker

exifcleaner # Cleans images metadata

fantastical

firefox

flux

freetube # Privacy respecting youtube client

imageoptim

karabiner-elements

keka

knockknock

libreoffice

little-snitch

microsoft-teams

obsidian

oversight

postman

protonmail-bridge

protonvpn

raycast

rectangle

shottr

signal

slack

spotify

tableplus

thunderbird

tor-browser

transmission

tresorit

vlc

vscodium # Microsoft-free VSCode

I maintain my mac's configs in a dotfile repo, feel free to check it out for more configurations: https://github.com/mansour-ahmed/dotfiles

lurker1374 tahun yang lalu

Flycut as a light weight clipboard manager: https://github.com/TermiT/Flycut

Figterm for terminal command autocomplete with interactive drop downs: https://fig.io/

uniqueuid4 tahun yang lalu

- As few additional apps as possible, since any additional software introduces security, maintenance and cognitive burden.

speedgoose4 tahun yang lalu

I wouldn’t use iTerm2 instead of the default terminal because it’s a lot slower.

oumua_don174 tahun yang lalu

A window manager. I use Moom.

MivLives4 tahun yang lalu

Rectangle (It's a window manager)

Chrome

Firefox

VSCode

My extensions for various web browsers

Homebrew

Other then that it's just what I end up needing in the course of work.

linepupdesign4 tahun yang lalu

swah4 tahun yang lalu

- Rectangle Pro

- Alfred or Raycast (both have also awesome clipboard management as bonus)

- iTerm or Warp terminal

- Chrome

- Bitwarden

- VSCode

- 50 bash scripts on $HOME/bin

tra34 tahun yang lalu

yabai for keyboard driven window management.

https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai

eddof134 tahun yang lalu

just set up a new m1 this week:

apple command line tools, emacs for os x, warp, rosetta terminal (for installing intel stuff), homebrew, the silver searcher, keyboard maestro, alfred, rescue time, docker, bartender, paw, tableplus, hopper disassembler, proxyman, textual, dash, nordvpn

xu3u324 tahun yang lalu

Can you share your usecases for Alfred? I downloaded it but never used it.

eddof134 tahun yang lalu

the launcher is huge for me dash integration workflow empty trash I set up a few snippets for terminal commands clipboard history also another workflow for setting my audio input/outputs from headphone/mic to speaker etc

raarts4 tahun yang lalu

I use:

Istat, Bartender, AltTab, Paste, 1Password, The Clock, Hammerspoon, Tripmode, DaisyDisk, Charles, TinkerTool.

21434 tahun yang lalu

oh-my-zsh

https://ohmyz.sh/

OsintOtter694 tahun yang lalu

Brew was the first thing to go on mine

ikeserbestian4 tahun yang lalu

Here is my list:

- Xcode and commandline tools,

- iTerm2,

- Emacs,

- Tiles,

- AppCleaner,

- VLC,

- Firefox plus Dev. Edition,

- Vivaldi,

- MacPass,

- Hush,

- Wipr,

- The Unarchiver,

- Pages, Numbers, Keynote,

- GarageBand and iMovie,

- Iosevka fonts.