I recently bought a new MacBook and don't know where to start. I learned how to code on a used MacBook Air and installed everything from any list of apps I found online.
But after random keys stopped working, it felt like a good opportunity to put my that old thing away and get more comfortable working in a Windows environment.
Instead, I just found myself writing less code because logging onto my Surface felt like work.
But now that I've bought a new MacBook, I don't really know how to kick things off again.
I installed the basics:
- VS Code
- Git
- Bear and RemNote
- Top Notch
But after that, I'm drawing a blank.
My old laptop was decked out so much it was running out of space. But this new one is precious. It deserves only the finest apps. This is why I'm seeking some inspiration from the Dev community.
What are your top 10 apps for a fresh MacBook?
If you had to chooser only 10 apps, what are fave apps for coding, productivity, or anything else that brings you joy? Nothing questionable or that's impossible to remove down the line.
Updating the list as I rediscover some old faves:
- VS Code
- Git
- Bear / RemNote / Tab Notes
- Top Notch
- Node
- Postman
- Homebrew
- Chrome
- Discord / Slack
Photo by Ron Lach from Pexels
Top comments (23)
I wasn't familiar with GitKraken. I just installed GitHub Desktop. I've never heard of iTerm. What do you hate about the default terminal?
Basically it's lack of customisability. You can change literally anything in iTerm.
In my opinion,as a tech savvy, will download and install; browser, python, sublime text, wps, gits, win eat files, messaging apps.
Here's my list:
Everything else is more on a use-case basis, from database related apps, to stuff I don't want in the browser, like discord.
What I find incredible is I could use just chrome, and use a bunch of online IDE's and tools to do 95% of what I want and need. The web really is that darn powerful.
very true
Alfred, Bitwarden and Obsidian
I just started using Obsidian after someone recommended it in another blog post. I'm in love
I like the fact the Obsidian is just a collection of markdown files. I created a dropbox folder and store all my files in it and access them every machine.
Neovim, VS Code, Teams, GitKraken, Steam, Postman, MySQL, NGINX, dev languages (C#, Powershell), Azure Data Studio.
Teams?? That's surprising (unless you work at Microsoft). I'm seeing a pattern with people preferring GitKraken over GitHub desktop. What makes GitKraken a must have? I'll have to look into Neovim and NGINX
Thanks for sharing your list. I'll install Postman later today
Well. Teams == Teams/Slack/Discord/Skype. If I were to combine all these, it would be Teams though. I don't work at Microsoft, but I am a cloud architect specializing in Microsoft tech.
I first started using GitKraken when I was frustrated with my inability to do difficult Git things (submodules come to mind) within the IDE. Then I found that it's a really good interface to Git. I never really used a desktop application for Git before GitKraken. It's been good value, so I've stuck with it.
I just bought the Macbook Air M1 as well.. here is my list:
very legit. I've installed all 5 of these now
I would recommend you uninstall postman and use Thunder Client extension for VS Code since you're using it
Also, i love Everything, yes Everything (the literal word) it's a search engine for windows, I don't navigate between folders anymore
Sublime Text, GitKraken, Firefox, Insomnia, Typora, Todoist, GIMP, Line, Dropbox, xbar
GitKraken? I'm interested to know why this is in your top 10. Also going to look into a few of these I'm not familiar with- Insomnia, Typora, Line
Line is a really popular Messenger app that everyone uses here in Thailand
Steam, vscode, discord, chrome, wsl2, battlenet, windows power tools, fileseeker, acestream, git.
Windows power tools on a Mac or do you have a PC? It's so clutch. I have it installed on my work computer
I don't know what wsl2, fileseeker, or acestream are. Will have to look into it further. Thanks for sharing! I love learning about new tools and apps
Git, Node, Python, Chrome, VS Code, WebStorm