
Ask HN: Tips for first time Mac buyer - codegeek
Just ordered my very first Mac (Macbook Pro). I used to think that Macs are for hipsters but after repeated feedback from my friends&#x2F;family that Mac have one of the best hardware etc, decided to give it a try.<p>But I am a Mac noob. What are some of the important tools that I should use specially for developer stuff ?<p>Any tutorials (I hope I don&#x27;t need one though :) for some shortcuts etc will help.
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saluki
I made the switch to mac in 2014. It's definitely one of the things I wish I'd
done sooner.

Using Vagrant, Node, Git etc . . . just work on OSX.

You're going to love it.

Working on windows I always seemed to run in to obscure bugs/issues when
following a tutorial. I could run the same tutorial on my wife's macbook and
it would work without a hitch. That's when I decided to move over.

OSX just works for development.

I use:

Terminal of course. Virtual Box (Laravel Homestead) Mamp sublime text for my
editor. SourceTree for Git GUI Sequel Pro for MySQL GUI Filezille for FTP
Adobe Photoshop

Mac App Store:

Magnet (resize app windows when you drag them over to the edge)

Frank DeLoupe (Color Picker)

Skitch (Screen Shots)

Magnet solved the only feature I was missing when first moving over. The
Finder and everything else will feel pretty familiar. You'll be productive
(maybe more productive the first day).

You can listen to this:
[http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-185-m...](http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-185-moving-
from-windows-to-mac) It's starting to get a little dated but still good.

The trackpad is really good, you won't need a mouse.

Think about getting an external monitor and stand/trackpad/keyboard for a
desktop setup:

On Amazon

ASUS VS247H-P 23.6" Full HD 1920x1080 2ms HDMI DVI-D VGA Back-lit LED
Monitor(they have a few sizes/price points)

aLLreli® 6ft Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable | Mini DP to HDMI | Thunderbolt
Compatible | Full HD 1080p | 24k Gold Plated Connectors | Video+Audio

mStand Laptop Stand

Apple Wireless Track Pad and Wireless Keyboard (new versions just came out)

The mStand is definitely worth it to elevate/line up the displays.

It feels like a desktop setup and it's nice to be able to grab the macbook and
work in multiple locations.

Enjoy.

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sjs382
It depends what you do, and what type of workflow you're used to.

Can you tell us more about that, so we can do a better job of helping you?

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codegeek
Thx. Primarily for web development including using Vagrant, PHP, Node, git
etc. Also what about some gotchas compared to Windows ?

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sjs382
I cant think of many gotchas. Just don't fall into a trap of trying to
customize everything right away. Also, take advantage of the best trackpad you
can find, especially the multitouch shortcuts. :)

Software I use often: SublimeText, iTerm, Chrome & Chrome Canary, SourceTree,
npm, FileZilla, Adoce CC, Keka (zip/archives), Airmail, Sequel Pro ( _Great_
GUI for browsing/managing MySQL databases), Sip (color picker).

Also, MS offers VirtualBox images with Windows and a bunch of IE versions, for
testing. Here's a quick tool to get them up and running fast:
[https://github.com/xdissent/ievms](https://github.com/xdissent/ievms)

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mobinni
Step 1) Install HomeBrew Step 2) Profit

