Setting up a Macintosh

My strategy for setting up a new Mac:

1. Wipe the disk and install OS.

Recommended Software

1. Free Software to Install:
   1. Microsoft Silverlight
   2. Adium
   3. MacPorts
   4. OSXFUSE
   5. Ext2 FUSE module
   6. A GUI EMACS Aquamacs, Emacs 21 for MacOS , or Emacs.app
2. Upgradable software:
   1. SuperDuper!, an easy-to-use backup system for the Mac which makes bootable drives.
   2. DropBox if you don't want to use iCloud (or if you want to share files with your Android phone.)
   3. iTerm, a much better terminal.
3. Commercial Software
   1. OmniGraffle
   2. PDF Pen
   3. LastPass or 1Password for Password management and synchronization.
   4. Latexian, a real-time LaTeX editor.
   5. Microsoft Office

1. LaTeX - Install this software (http://guides.macrumors.com/Installing_LaTeX_on_a_Mac for more info)
   1. MacTeX
   2. LaTeXIt --- LaTeX editor with Services support.
   3. TeXMaker

GUI Tweaking

1. 1. Drag the Terminal, Console, and Activity Monitor applications from /Applications/Utilities into the Dock.
   2. Put the Dock on the right side of the screen (it was designed for use on the right side of the screen and takes up less screen real estate there.)
   3. Go to Preferences/Keyboard and make the CAPSLOCK key a control key.
2. Go to the Terminal and type the following:

sudo port selfupdate
sudo port install aspell aspell-dict-en hunspell-dict-en_US wget zip unzip \
     automake autoconf cairo-devel boost \
     python_select python33 py33-tkinter py33-matplotlib py33-scipy py33-ipython py33-cairo \
     texlive-basic texlive-bibtex-extra texlive-bin-extra texlive-fonts-extra texlive-generic-extra \
     texlive-humanities texlive-lang-english texlive-latex texlive-latex-extra texlive-math-extra \
     texlive-pictures texlive-publishers texlive-science latex2rtf
sudo port -f activate python33
sudo port select --set python python32

Note: See TexLivePackages for a list of all MacPorts texlive packages.

1. 1. sudo python_select python27

Rationale for the above:

• You should be using python3.2
• The zip/unzip from Apple is from 2005 and doesn't have ZIP64 support.

Developer Tools

• http://crossgcc.rts-software.org/doku.php - Mingw 4.5.2 on Mac

See Also

• Macintosh Notes