Essential Mac Development Tools and Shortcuts for New Mac Users

After receiving a brand‑new Mac, the author shares a step‑by‑step guide to quickly become productive by installing essential utilities and configuring the terminal.

1. Speed‑up Tools

1.1 Cheatsheet (Shortcut King)

Press the Command key for two seconds to display all shortcuts for the current application; the list can also be printed.

1.2 Homebrew (Package Manager)

Homebrew is the macOS package manager, analogous to apt-get on Ubuntu or yum on CentOS.

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

To use a domestic mirror:

cd "$(brew --repo)" && git remote set-url origin https://git.coding.net/homebrew/homebrew.git
cd $home && brew update

1.3 iTerm2

A powerful replacement for the default macOS terminal. The author lists common tab and pane shortcuts such as Command+T to open a new tab and Command+D for vertical split.

1.4 oh‑my‑zsh

An open‑source framework that enhances the default Zsh shell with themes and plugins.

sh -c "$(wget -O- https://gitee.com/shmhlsy/oh-my-zsh-install.sh/raw/master/install.sh)"

After installation, edit ~/.zshrc to set ZSH_THEME="cloud" and reload with source ~/.zshrc .

1.5 AutoJump

A tool that lets you jump directly to frequently used directories.

brew install autojump

Add plugins=(git autojump) to ~/.zshrc and source the file.

1.6 thefuck

A command‑correction utility that suggests the intended command when a typo occurs.

brew install thefuck

Add eval $(thefuck --alias OK) to ~/.zshrc ; then typing ok after a failed command will propose the corrected version.

2. Writing Utilities

2.1 Typora

A markdown editor for note‑taking and article writing.

2.2 Snipaste

A lightweight screenshot tool.

2.3 uPic

An automatic image‑upload tool that integrates with Typora; install via brew install upic and configure the upload service.

3. Development Tools

3.1 Git

Install Git with brew install git and generate a new SSH key using ssh-keygen -t rsa , then copy it with pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub for GitHub/Gitee.

3.2 Java JDK (Zulu)

Zulu JDK provides native support for Apple M1 chips; download from the official site and verify with java -version .

3.3 Maven

Download Maven, extract it, and set MAVEN_HOME and PATH in ~/.zshrc :

export MAVEN_HOME=/Users/data/apache-maven-3.6.3
export PATH=$PATH:$MAVEN_HOME/bin

Activate with source ~/.zshrc and check the version via mvn -version .

3.4 Visual Studio Code

A cross‑platform, free source‑code editor with extensions, Git integration, and customizable themes; the author prefers it for front‑end development.

4. Learning Apps

4.1 WeChat Reading

The iOS version runs smoothly on M1 Macs, offering full‑screen immersive reading.

4.2 GeekTime

The iOS app is installed but currently cannot log in.

5. Miscellaneous Essentials

Additional frequently used software includes Xunlei, Baidu Cloud, Tencent Meeting, Focus List (Pomodoro), IntelliJ IDEA, Xcode, Microsoft To‑Do, and Evernote Web Clipper.