Disabling [rootless]

System Integrity Protection ("rootless") keeps some directories and files from being modified, even by root.

Some programs do not work well with SIP enabled. Do the following to turn it off:

• Enter Recovery Mode: start up while holding Command ⌘ + R
• Open the terminal: Utilities » Terminal
• Run the command csrutil disable

Password for root:

sudo passwd

Hostname

sudo scutil --set ComputerName "Air"
sudo scutil --set HostName "Air"
sudo scutil --set LocalHostName "Air"
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server.plist NetBIOSName -string "Air"

Trackpad

Three-finger drag

Accessibility » Mouse & Trackpad » Trackpad Options… » Enable dragging » three finger drag

Scanner

Xsane, which I use on Linux, also works on the Mac. It is open source and quite complete:

brew install sane-backends
brew install xsane

Vuescan is a native app and works very well, but it is paid software.

Zoom

Accessibility » Zoom » Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom: ^ Control

XCode

The latest version of XCode can be downloaded from the Apple Store or at https://developer.apple.com/downloads/, where the beta versions are also available.

If the .xip file downloaded from Apple’s site shows up as corrupted, try opening it with another program. Here The Unarchiver showed “Data Corrupted”, but Archive Utility worked perfectly.

Install the command line tools:

xcode-select --install
sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Open XCode and accept the license, or type “agree” at sudo xcodebuild -license to agree.

Turn off Gatekeeper to allow installing apps downloaded from the internet

This fixes “XXX can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”.

sudo spctl --master-disable

System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General » Allow apps downloaded from: Anywhere.

Turn it back on with: sudo spctl --master-enable.

Dotfiles

git clone --recursive https://github.com/jbsilva/dotfiles.git

cd dotfiles

git submodule update --init --recursive

Homebrew

Download and install Homebrew:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

brew tap Homebrew/bundle

brew bundle --file=/Users/julio/dotfiles/Brewfile

Karabiner-Elements

Download Karabiner-Elements

Some advanced modifications can be found at https://ke-complex-modifications.pqrs.org/.

Swap Caps-Lock for ESC

The configuration is in the dotfiles.

Use Enter in Finder to go into a directory

Use F2 to rename

Zplug + Zprezto

Zplug manages the ZSH plugins. It is installed automatically.

Links to the dotfiles

ln -s ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig ~
ln -s ~/dotfiles/.config ~
ln -s ~/dotfiles/.zsh ~
ln -s ~/dotfiles/.zshrc ~

Copies of the dotfiles that cannot be links

sudo cp ~/dotfiles/fstab /etc/fstab

Zsh default shell

command -v zsh | sudo tee -a /etc/shells
sudo chsh -s "$(command -v zsh)" "${USER}"
compaudit | xargs chmod g-w

Zsh completions

Install the zsh_completions formula:

brew install zsh-completions

Add $(brew --prefix)/share/zsh-completions to $FPATH:

FPATH=$(brew --prefix)/share/zsh-completions:$FPATH

Mounting a drive

Create the folder listed in /etc/fstab and mark it as immutable so

that MacOs does not delete it after the disk is unmounted:

sudo mkdir /Volumes/Elements
sudo chflags uchg /Volumes/Elements/

Mount the disk:

diskutil mount disk2s1

Vim

Vundle

Open Vim and download the plugins with :PluginInstall

Spell checker

Type :setlocal spell spelllang=pt_br in Vim and follow the instructions.

Finder

• In Home (~)
  • View » Show View Options (Cmd+J):
    • Calculate all sizes,
    • Show Library Folder,
    • Show item info
• On the Desktop
  • Right click » Show View Options (Cmd+J):
    • Show item info,
    • Increase the Grid spacing

Preventing automatic sleep

There are several programs for this:

• InsomniaX
• Caffeine
• Amphetamine
• KeepingYouAwake

I am using KeepingYouAwake, which is very simple and free.

From the command line there is caffeinate:

Prevents sleep for 1 hour (3600 seconds):

caffeinate -u -t 3600

Prevents sleep until a command finishes:

caffeinate -s command

Prevents sleep until Ctrl-C:

caffeinate -I

Preventing sleep when the lid is closed

sudo pmset -a disablesleep 1

Turning off HD sleep

System Preferences » Energy Saver: uncheck Put hard disks to sleep when possible

A link to /Volumes on the Desktop

ln -s /Volumes ~/Desktop/

Turning off the guest user

System Preferences » Users & Groups: Uncheck “Allow guest to log in to this computer”.

SSH

Copy your keys from the backup and set the right permissions:

cp -r /Volumes/Cofre/.ssh ~
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/*
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/*.pub

Spotlight

System Preferences » Spotlight

Spotlight returns quite useless things in the search results. Turn off Bookmarks & History, Fonts, Movies, Music, Other, Presentations, and so on.

Uncheck “Allow Spotlight Suggestion in Look up”.

NTFS

NTFS-3g

OSXFuse and NTFS-3g can be installed with Homebrew for free.

Link mount_ntfs to ntfs-3g:

sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs.original
sudo ln -s /usr/local/sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs

Paragon and Tuxera

I used NTFS-3g for many years (both on Linux and on the Mac), but its performance really does leave something to be desired.

I switched to Paragon when I had to back up a few terabytes of data. The difference in transfer rate was quite significant.

Consider Paragon (R$ 34.95) or [Tuxera] (R$ 107.13) if you use NTFS-formatted disks.

Python

Virtualenv

$ export PYTHON_CONFIGURE_OPTS="--enable-framework --enable-unicode=ucs4 --enable-ipv6 --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions"

(Other options –enable-shared –with-wide-unicode –with-computed-gotos)

$ pyenv install 2.7-dev
$ pyenv install 3.7-dev
$ pyenv rehash
$ pyenv global 2.7-dev 3.7-dev

Framework support (--enable-framework) is needed for tools such as YouCompleteMe.

Python libs

pip3 install flake8 ipython matplotlib numpy pep8 pep8-naming pygments scipy unidecode mako coursera awscli neovim

Ruby

Ruby version manager (RVM)

curl -L https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable --rails

Gems

gem install pygmentize

Defaults

Trackpad and Mouse

Natural scrolling

defaults write NSGlobalDomain com.apple.swipescrolldirection -bool true

Tap to click

defaults write com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad Clicking -bool true
defaults write NSGlobalDomain com.apple.mouse.tapBehavior -int 1

Right button

defaults write com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad TrackpadCornerSecondaryClick -int 0
defaults write com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad TrackpadRightClick -bool true
defaults -currentHost write NSGlobalDomain com.apple.trackpad.trackpadCornerClickBehavior -int 0
defaults -currentHost write NSGlobalDomain com.apple.trackpad.enableSecondaryClick -bool true

Keyboard

Enables tab in modal dialogs

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleKeyboardUIMode -int 3

Language

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "en" "de" "pt-BR"

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "pt_BR@currency=BRL"

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleMeasurementUnits -string "Centimeters"

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleMetricUnits -bool true

Enables the Debug menu in the App Store

defaults write com.apple.appstore ShowDebugMenu -bool true

The folder where screenshots will be saved

SCREENSHOTS="${HOME}/Desktop/Screenshots" && mkdir "${SCREENSHOTS}" && defaults write com.apple.screencapture location -string "${SCREENSHOTS}"

Enables character repeat when a key is held down (needs a restart)

    $ defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false

Faster key repeat rate

    $ defaults write NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat -int 2

Starts Finder in home (~/)

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTarget -string "PfLo"
    $ defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTargetPath -string "file://${HOME}"

Shows the path bar in Finder

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool true

Shows the status bar in Finder

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool true

Does not warn about extension changes

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder FXEnableExtensionChangeWarning -bool false

Checks for updates daily (default: one week)

    $ defaults write com.apple.SoftwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency -int 1

Shows (internal) drive icons on the desktop

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true

Shows external drive icons on the desktop

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowExternalHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true

Shows removable media icons on the desktop

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop -bool true

Shows server icons on the desktop

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowMountedServersOnDesktop -bool true

Does not create .DS_Store on network volumes

    $ defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool true

Enables the develop menu and the Web Inspector in Safari

    defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu -bool true && \
    defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDevelopMenu -bool true && \
    defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitDeveloperExtrasEnabledPreferenceKey -bool true && \
    defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2DeveloperExtrasEnabled -bool true && \
    defaults write NSGlobalDomain WebKitDeveloperExtras -bool true

Shows the absolute path in Finder’s title bar

    $ defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES

Shows ~/Library

    $ chflags nohidden ~/Library

Default Apps

By hand

    $ vim ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist

Duti

    $ duti -s org.videolan.vlc .mp4 all

Enables CUPS’ web interface

    $ sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes

The server will be available at http://localhost:631/admin.

Lock screen

System Preferences » Security & Privacy » General » Require Password » 5 seconds

Lock: Control + Shift + Power Sleep: Command ⌘ + Option ⌥ + Power

Shortcut: System Preferences » Keyboard » Shortcuts » + » Lock Screen » Shortcut

iTerm2

• https://iterm2.com/documentation-highlights.html

Terminal colorscheme

Apply Zenburn

$ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mbadolato/iTerm2-Color-Schemes/master/schemes/Zenburn.itermcolors

Command ⌘ + i » Colors » Color Presets » Import… » Zenburn.itermcolors » Open General » Copy Current Settings to Selected Profile.

Font

The Nerd Fonts package was installed through Homebrew. To use it in iTerm2, just do the following:

Preferences » Profiles » Text » Non-ASCII Font » Hack Regular Nerd Font Complete

Login Items

System Preferences » Users & Groups » Current User » Login Items

Keep only:

• Flux
• InsomniaX (or equivalent)
• SwitchResX Daemon
• Moom

Chrome as the default browser

xdg-mime default chromium.desktop x-scheme-handler/http
xdg-mime default chromium.desktop x-scheme-handler/https

Mute Chrome

In the address bar: chrome://flags/#enable-tab-audio-muting

Hosts

I have a script that downloads the hosts file from someonewhocares.org and installs it automatically:

sudo ~/dotfiles/hosts.sh

An application that helps manage the hosts file is GasMask:

brew cask install gas-mask

Dock

Keep only useful programs in the Dock:

• Finder
• Mail
• Contacts
• Calendar
• iTerm
• Google Chrome

Spotify

Besides logging into Spotify, you also have to set up scrobbling to Last.fm: Preferences » Connect to Last.fm

Preferences: Turn off “Local Files”

Tips

Keeping the cover from being separate in Two Page view in Preview

Whenever you view a PDF two pages at a time, Preview will show the first page on its own, as if it were a book cover. Sometimes that is not what we want and there is no way to turn that “feature” off, but there is a trick: insert a blank page and move it to the first position: Edit » Insert » Blank Page; View » Contact Sheet, then drag the blank page to the first position.

Scrolling in the terminal

Shift+fn+UP and Shift+fn+DOWN

Mail

Setting up Gmail accounts is trivial, but besides those I also use an email address on my own host.

If Mail does not automatically recognize each imap folder’s role, you will have to set it by hand. E.g.:

Select Deleted Messages » Mailbox » Use This Mailbox As » Trash Mailbox

PATH

Check that the order of the directories in /etc/paths is right and that every directory is there.

Programs installed without Homebrew

• Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDF Expert: Viewing and editing PDFs
• Adobe Lightroom: Organizing the photo gallery
• Adobe Photoshop: Image editing
• CleanMyMac: System maintenance
• Dash: API Documentation Browser
• iStat Menu: Menu bar with CPU/Memory/Network/etc status
• LittleSnitch: Blocks unwanted connections. Free alternative: Lulu
• MacPaw Gemini: Removes duplicate files
• Microsoft Office
• Many Tricks Moom: Manages windows
• Parallels: Virtualization
• SideSync: For managing Samsung devices
• SwitchResX: Screen resolution
• Vuescan: scanner (free alternative: xsane)
• Wunderlist

Firewall

OS X ships with pfctl. LittleSnitch and Lulu also let you manage outgoing connections.

SSL certificates

In my case, I have to add the university’s certificates: moodle.dc.ufscar.br

MySQL

CLI

brew install mysql
mysql.server start
mysql_secure_installation
mysql_upgrade -u root -p
mysql.server restart

$ mysql -u root -p
  mysql> select host, user, password from mysql.user;
  mysql> CREATE USER 'julio'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '123456';
  mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'julio'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
  mysql> show variables;
  mysql> show databases;
  mysql> use nome_do_esquema;

$ mysql.server stop

MySQL Workbench

brew cask install mysqlworkbench

Apache

Uncomment the following lines in /etc/apache2/httpd.conf:

LoadModule authz_core_module libexec/apache2/mod_authz_core.so
LoadModule authz_host_module libexec/apache2/mod_authz_host.so
LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/apache2/mod_rewrite.so
LoadModule cgi_module libexec/apache2/mod_cgi.so

User folder

Uncomment the following lines in /etc/apache2/httpd.conf:

LoadModule userdir_module libexec/apache2/mod_userdir.so
Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-userdir.conf

Uncomment the following line in /etc/apache2/extra/httpd-userdir.conf:

Include /private/etc/apache2/users/*.conf

Create the file /etc/apache2/users/julio.conf:

<Directory "/Users/julio/Sites/">
    Options Indexes MultiViews FollowSymLinks
    Require all granted
    AllowOverride All
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

Restart Apache with sudo apachectl restart.

Create the ~/Sites folder:

mkdir ~/Sites

PHP

sudo cp /etc/php.ini.default /etc/php.ini
sudo -e /etc/php.ini

phpMyAdmin

sudo vim /etc/apache2/httpd.conf

Alias /phpmyadmin /usr/local/share/phpmyadmin
<Directory /usr/local/share/phpmyadmin/>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    AllowOverride All
    <IfModule mod_authz_core.c>
        Require all granted
    </IfModule>
    <IfModule !mod_authz_core.c>
        Order allow,deny
        Allow from all
    </IfModule>
</Directory>

Google KSFetch

Google checks for updates every hour. Change that to 7 days:

defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 604800

Or turn the check off entirely:

defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0

iTerm2 + tmux

iTerm2 integrates with tmux, a terminal multiplexer.

Install it with homebrew:

brew install tmux

Control mode:

tmux -CC

Byobu

Better than screen and tmux

Update: also consider Zellij.

Date

Date & Time:

• Use a 24-hour clock,
• Show the day of the week,
• Show date

iBooks

Every time you open an .epub, iBooks copies it into the directory /Users/julio/Library/Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/iBooks.

The original stays where it was. It can be worth deleting the files (from within iBooks) to save space.

Inline attachment viewing type:

defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool yes
defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool false

Github

git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain

This is already set in ~/.gitconfig.

Dictionaries

Dict.cc

Download it from http://www.dict.cc/?s=about%3Awordlist

iStat Menus

Settings » Date & Time:

• Uncheck Show date and time in menu bar.

Settings » Energy Saver:

• Uncheck Show battery status in menu bar.

Rearrange the menu items by dragging them while holding the Command (⌘) key.

Skype

Skype » Preferences… » Save files in: ~/Downloads/Skype

Telegram

Telegram » Preferences… » Advanced Settings » Save documents to: ~/Download/Telegram

Links

• https://gist.github.com/1623487.git
• Rootless: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Integrity_Protection
• Security: https://github.com/lfit/itpol/blob/master/linux-workstation-security.md
• https://www.reddit.com/r/osx/comments/300chd/what_are_the_most_essential_apps_for_os_x_in/
• https://github.com/monfresh/laptop
• https://gist.github.com/adamstac/822811
• http://mikebuss.com/2014/02/02/a-beautiful-productive-terminal-experience/
• http://www.defaults-write.com/
• http://www.slant.co/topics/526/~window-manager-for-mac
• http://www.sunrisepage.com/computers/osx/osx1011.htm
• http://www.reecefowell.com/2012/11/16/ksfetch-annoyance-on-mac-os-x-10-8-ml-with-hands-off-or-little-snitch-firewall/
• https://gitlab.com/gnachman/iterm2/wikis/TmuxIntegration
• http://www.simononsoftware.com/virtualenv-tutorial-part-2/
• https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/gatekeeper-macos-sierra/
• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/disabling_and_enabling_system_integrity_protection