My MacBook Setup (the 2024 version)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Setting up a new MacBook for development sparks a split between those who rely on Apple’s Migration Assistant or Time Machine for near-seamless cloning and those who prefer “clean installs” automated with tools like Homebrew, Nix, Ansible, and dotfile managers. Commenters trade tips on taming macOS quirks—window management, trackpad behavior, browser choice for frontend work, and multi-timezone tools—while noting constraints on managed corporate machines. A recurring theme is the trade-off between spending time on elaborate, reproducible setups and accepting a slower, incremental configuration as needs arise.

Clean Install vs. Migration Assistant

  • Many argue Migration Assistant / Time Machine makes new Mac setup trivial, reliably cloning apps, prefs, and data across multiple generations.
  • Others deliberately prefer “clean installs” to declutter old cruft, re‑evaluate tools, or work around MDM restrictions where migration is disabled.
  • Critics of clean installs call them unnecessary time sinks, a relic of old Windows habits, suggesting you can just uninstall what you don’t want.
  • Some report issues when migrating from Intel to Apple Silicon (Homebrew problems, Rosetta/x86 binaries), leading them to recommend fresh installs in that case.

Automation and Reproducible Setups

  • Several tools are mentioned to script or declare setups: shell scripts with defaults write, Homebrew’s brew bundle dump, chezmoi for dotfiles and secrets, Ansible, and Nix-based setups (nix-darwin, home-manager).
  • Nix is praised for cross‑platform, declarative configs (even across macOS, Linux, Windows) but seen by some as overkill and fiddly to learn.

Browsers on macOS

  • Some are surprised by switching from Chrome to Edge for battery reasons; others say Safari is usually the most energy‑efficient on Mac.
  • Frontend devs often prioritize Chromium or Firefox for devtools and compatibility, though testing across Safari/Firefox is still considered important.
  • There’s debate over Apple’s standards posture: some praise Safari’s standards work; others point to iOS PWA restrictions and DMA responses as evidence of hostility to web apps.

Window Management & UX Frictions

  • Multiple complaints about macOS window management: lack of a native tiling WM, confusing app vs window model, and inconsistent behavior with multiple desktops.
  • Third‑party tools like yabai+skhd, Rectangle, BetterSnapTool, Moom, Contexts, and others are used to approximate tiling, better app switching, or sane maximize behavior.
  • Opinions diverge on features like tap‑to‑click and “natural” scrolling; some love them, others find them unusable, especially when mixing mouse and trackpad.

Other Tools & Platform Comparisons

  • Launchers and terminals: Raycast vs Alfred (cost and bloat concerns), Warp vs traditional terminals (pushback on login requirement), plus praise for lightweight terminals like Alacritty.
  • macOS tips: world clock widgets, third‑party timezone tools, Scroll Reverser for separate mouse/trackpad scroll directions, battery and window‑switching utilities.
  • Some express frustration with Apple’s closed ecosystem; others contrast it favorably with Windows’ perceived bloat, ads, and clutter.