*Everything I Installed on My New Mac

June 18, 2024

I just wiped and set up my new Mac. No bloat, no half-baked utilities — just the tools that make me faster and sharper when I code, write, or build.

Here’s everything I installed (and why it earned a place).

🧰 Core Development

  • Xcode — because macOS won't compile half of anything without it. Even if I never touch Swift, the developer tools are a must.
  • VS Code — my daily driver for almost everything. Extensions like Rust Analyzer and Prettier make it lightweight but powerful.
  • Cursor — VS Code with an AI brain. The autocompletion and inline refactor suggestions save me from context-switching to ChatGPT.
  • iTerm2 — I can’t use the stock Terminal anymore. Profiles, panes, and key bindings make it feel alive.
  • Warp — I keep this one around when I want a polished terminal with real-time command search and shared sessions.

🌐 Browsing & Requests

  • Brave — Chrome without the surveillance. Fast, minimal, and native ad blocking built in.
  • Insomnia — the underrated API testing tool. I prefer it over Postman — cleaner UI and no sign-in drama.

🧠 Notes & Organization

  • Obsidian — my second brain. Markdown files stored locally with backlinks, templates, and graph view. Perfect for keeping ideas offline but structured.
  • BetterDisplay — tiny app, massive difference. Fixes external monitor scaling, unlocks HiDPI resolutions, and lets me rotate screens on command.

🧩 Why It Matters

This setup took me less than an hour to rebuild — and that’s the point.
Every app serves a purpose. No bloat, no “just in case” installs.
If I’m coding, designing, or researching — this stack is my entire workstation.