How to Supercharge Your Mac with Brew
Yo! You just got yourself a Mac and you’re probably thinking, “How do I make this thing unstoppable?” Well, let me tell you, Brew is the secret sauce that’s going to take your Mac to the next level. I’m talking power moves only. Let’s go!
Step 1: Install Brew
First things first—Brew. This is what’s going to unlock your Mac’s true potential. Here’s the deal. Brew is like an app store but for geeks. You want something cool or useful? Brew’s got it. We’re going to install it.
Pop open that Terminal (you know, the black-and-white screen that looks like hacker heaven), and drop this bad boy in:
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/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Boom! Brew is in the house.
Step 2: Install Tools Like a Boss
Now that Brew is on deck, let’s load up your Mac with some killer apps. You’re about to make your machine a productivity machine. Get ready for some command-line magic.
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brew install taskexplorer
brew install knockknock
brew install onyx
brew install bash curl wget
- TaskExplorer: Ever wonder what your Mac is really doing behind your back? TaskExplorer’s gonna show you.
- KnockKnock: Malware? Not today. This tool shows you what’s starting up on your Mac.
- Onyx: Like a cleaner for your system, only with superpowers.
- Bash, Curl, Wget: Command-line essentials. Don’t worry about it; just trust me, you’ll need these at some point.
Step 3: Make Rosetta Happen
Alright, so if you’re on an M1 or M2 Mac, you’re going to need Rosetta to run apps built for Intel processors. Rosetta’s like a translator for your machine. Let’s get it going:
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softwareupdate --install-rosetta
Simple as that. Rosetta, installed.
Step 4: Update and Upgrade Everything
You thought you were done? Nah, we’ve gotta make sure everything is up-to-date. Because outdated software is a one-way ticket to Frustration City.
Here’s how we keep Brew (and your system) fresh:
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brew update
brew upgrade
brew upgrade --greedy
Translation:
brew update: Tells Brew to check what’s new.brew upgrade: Updates everything you installed via Brew.brew upgrade --greedy: This one’s for the pros. It’ll update dependencies too.
Step 5: Cleanup Time
When you install apps and tools, they leave a bunch of junk behind. We’re all about that clean life, so let’s tidy up the mess:
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brew cleanup -s
rm -rf "$(brew --cache)"
Nice and clean. 💥
Step 6: Is Everything Good?
Before we call it a day, let’s run some diagnostics. We don’t want any surprises later, so we’ll run these checks to make sure everything’s in tip-top shape.
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brew missing
brew autoremove
brew doctor
- brew missing: Finds anything that might be broken.
- brew autoremove: Deletes anything you don’t need.
- brew doctor: This is like a full health check for your Brew setup.
Step 7: Turn Off Brew Analytics
Listen, I love Brew, but I don’t need it tracking my moves. We’re gonna turn off its analytics. Here’s how to do it:
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set -x #echo on
brew analytics off
Now we’re off the grid. Just the way we like it.
Step 8: Repeat the Updates
Because we can never update enough:
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brew update
brew upgrade
brew upgrade --greedy
brew cleanup -s
rm -rf "$(brew --cache)"
brew missing
brew autoremove
brew doctor
Step 9: Keep macOS Updated
Brew’s great, but don’t sleep on those macOS updates. They’re important too. We’ll run a full system update and then reboot:
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sudo softwareupdate -i -a
reboot
Everything will be fresh after this reboot. Trust me.
Step 10: Install Firefox (Because Chrome Isn’t Always the Move)
Last thing we need is a solid browser. Firefox is a great option if you’re tired of Chrome eating up all your memory and you want more privacy. Lets get this bad boy installed.
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brew install --cask firefox
Boom, that’s it! You’re good to go. Your Mac is now a productivity machine, all thanks to Brew.
To level up your Mac game even more, go check out my full Firefox Privacy Guide and MacOS Privacy Guide.
Final Thoughts
Remember, tech doesn’t have to be complicated. When you’re in control, it’s just fun. Keep your tools updated, your system clean, and always look for ways to level up.
Catch you in the next one!