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Development Tools
When you're ready to code, build, or tinker.
Getting Started
Before installing dev tools, you'll likely need Xcode Command Line Tools:
bash
xcode-select --installThis gives you Git, compilers, and other essentials without installing the full Xcode IDE.
Code Editors
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | The most popular code editor. Extensions for everything. | Free |
| Xcode | Apple's IDE. Required for iOS/macOS app development. | Free |
| Cursor | AI-powered code editor (VS Code fork with built-in AI) | Free (basic) |
| Zed | Fast, collaborative code editor built in Rust | Free |
| Sublime Text | Lightweight, lightning-fast text editor | Free (evaluation) / $99 |
| Nova | Mac-native editor by Panic. Beautiful and fast. | $99 (one-time) |
Recommendation: Start with Visual Studio Code: massive community, thousands of extensions, works for any language.
Terminal
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | Built-in. Gets the job done. | Free (built-in) |
| iTerm2 | More powerful terminal: split panes, search, profiles, tmux integration | Free |
| Warp | Modern terminal with AI, autocompletions, and blocks | Free (basic) |
Recommendation: The built-in Terminal works fine to start. Try iTerm2 or Warp when you want split panes and more features.
Shell
Your Mac comes with zsh as the default shell. Customize it:
| Tool | What It Does | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Oh My Zsh | Framework for managing zsh config, themes, and plugins | sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" |
| Starship | Fast, customizable prompt that works with any shell | brew install starship |
| zsh-autosuggestions | Suggests commands as you type based on history | Oh My Zsh plugin |
| zsh-syntax-highlighting | Colors valid/invalid commands as you type | Oh My Zsh plugin |
Package Manager
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Homebrew | The essential Mac package manager. Install almost anything from the command line. | /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" |
Once installed: brew install <package> for CLI tools, brew install --cask <app> for GUI apps.
Version Control
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Git | Comes with Xcode Command Line Tools | xcode-select --install |
| GitHub Desktop | Visual Git client for GitHub | brew install --cask github |
| GitKraken | Visual Git client with broader support | Free (basic) |
Programming Languages
Install and manage these with Homebrew or dedicated version managers:
| Language | Install | Version Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Python | brew install python | pyenv |
| Node.js | brew install node | nvm or fnm |
| Rust | curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh | rustup |
| Go | brew install go | goenv |
| Java | brew install openjdk | jenv |
| Ruby | Pre-installed, but use | rbenv |
Databases
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| TablePlus | Beautiful database GUI for Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, etc. | Free (basic) / $89 |
| DBeaver | Free, universal database client | Free |
| Postgres.app | One-click PostgreSQL server for Mac | Free |
API and Networking
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Postman | Test APIs with a visual interface | Free (basic) |
| Insomnia | Lightweight API testing tool | Free |
| curl | Built-in command-line HTTP tool | Pre-installed |
Containers
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Desktop | Run containers on your Mac | Free (personal) |
| OrbStack | Faster, lighter Docker alternative for Mac | Free (personal) |
Recommendation: Try OrbStack first: it's much lighter on resources than Docker Desktop, which matters on 8GB.
AI and LLMs
| Tool | Why | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Ollama | Run local LLMs (Llama, Mistral, etc.) on your Mac | brew install ollama |
| LM Studio | Visual UI for running local AI models | Free |
Note: Running large LLMs on the MacBook Neo's 8GB memory will be limited to smaller models (7B parameters or less).