Mac OS Setup 1.1.0

I’ve just released Version 1.1.0 of the Mac OS Setup project on GitHub. Here are the highlights:

• Added Bash prompt customization.
• Added more Bash aliases for Git.
• Added Bash aliases for Heroku.
• Added Bash aliases for Ruby on Rails (including support for Rails 2.x and 3.x).
• Added Bash aliases for RSpec.
• Added a Bash alias for generating Railroad model diagrams.
• Added default terminal colors.
• Added better Git syntax coloring.
• Added Awesome Print to the irbrc file.

Check the CHANGELOG for further details.

Tags: Mac OS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails

Mac OS X Applications

The following is a breakdown of apps I commonly use and their install order (from a fresh install of the MacOS):

1. MacOS 10.6.0 (Snow Leopard Disk) - Insert the DVD, click Install MacOSX, click the Utilities button, and click the Restart button. You’ll be booted into the Snow Leopard install at which point you’ll want to launch Disk Utility and format your hard drive (MacOS Extended (Journaled)). After you have wiped your hard drive, exit Disk Utility, and continue on with the Snow Leopard install.
2. XCode Tools (Snow Leopard Disk)
3. MacOS X 10.6.x Combo Patch (download)
4. iPhoto (download)
5. GarageBand (download)
6. iMovie (download)
7. iDVD (download)
8. PathFinder (download)
9. OmniFocus (download)
10. OmniOutliner (download)
11. OmniGraffle (download)
12. Firefox (download)
13. Google Chrome (download)
14. Opera (download)
15. ExpanDrive (download)
16. NetNewsWire (download)
17. 1Password (download)
18. Skitch (download)
19. VLC (download)
20. Caffeine (download)
21. Coconut Battery (download)
22. iStat Menus (download)
23. Growl (download)
24. TextMate (download)
25. CSSEdit (download)
26. VMWare Fusion (download)
27. Billings (download)
28. MoneyWell (download)
29. Delicious Library (download)
30. OpenOffice (download)
31. Skype (download)
32. Tweetie (download)
33. Lorem Ipsum widget (download)
34. Logitech Harmony 890 remote software (download)
35. RipIt (download)
36. Startup Sound (download)
37. iBackup (download)
38. Dropbox (download)
39. Software Updates (via the Apple icon - requires a reboot)

Configurations

After installing the applications, you might need to configure some of them. Here are some notes:

1. Configure printer.
2. Configure scanner.
3. Configure Spaces.
4. Install Firefox extensions.
5. Set up the Ruby development environment.

Notes

You can learn more about some of these apps on my Applications page. Also, since I’m one of those who likes organization, I wrote a post on data management a while back that sheds further light on how I manage my apps and the data related to them in case it is of interest (Note: even though the post was originally written for Windows some of the concepts still apply for the MacOS).

Tags: Mac OS

Mac OS X Ruby Environment

For those wanting to set up a proper Ruby and Ruby on Rails development environment for your Mac OS, I’ve created an OmniOutliner outline that might be of help:

• MacOS Ruby Development Setup 1.3.0

When making the outline, I pulled heavily from the following articles (also found on my MacOS page) with a few modification here and there:

• A definitive upgrade guide
• Upgrade notes on developer tools
• A bunch of notes on getting your developer tools up and running without too much trouble
• How to get MySQL working

Tags: Mac OS, Ruby

Mac OS X Spaces

Introduction

The Spaces feature is a heavily used aspect of my setup. It allows me to group similar applications together within each space (a.k.a. desktop).

Configuration

Here is my configuration:

What might not be clear from the screenshot above is the complete picture of what I am loading in each space. Here is a more verbose breakdown of each of my spaces:

1. Navigation (PathFinder/Terminal)
2. Chat (Skype/Tweetie)
3. Email (Apple Mail)
4. Syndication (NetNewsWire)
5. Web (Firefox/Safari/Chrome/Opera)
6. Planning (iCal, Address Book)
7. Organization (OmniFocus)
8. Design (OmniGraffle)
9. Notes (OmniOutliner)
10. Documentation (OpenOffice/Preview/Digital Books)
11. Development (TextMate)
12. Virtualization (VMFusion)
13. Finance (MoneyWell/Billings)
14. Security (1Password)
15. Media (iTunes, iPhone, GarageBand, iMovie, iDVD)
16. Miscellaneous

Example

Notes

What I really like about each space is that all application related events are captured in the space that the application is running in. It is rather handy to have my chat windows, e-mail, etcs all within their own space without being cluttered upon other applications. I also like that I can easily switch between application using the APPLE+TAB key combo.

Tags: Mac OS