Mac OS X

A list of what I install on new machines:

• Desktop Applications:
  • Anki - a spaced-repetition flashcard app available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS
  • soffes/Countdown - A countdown screensaver
  • Discord
  • Firefox
  • Magnet - Better window snapping
  • Obsidian - for writing personal notes in my zettelkasten
  • RescueTime
  • Signal
  • Spotify
  • Todoist
  • WhatPulse
  • A screen keep-awake application like Amphetamine.
• Development Tools:
  • Xcode
  • Homebrew
  • oh-my-zsh
  • nvm - Node Version Manager
  • rvm - Ruby Version Manager
  • My dotfiles
  • iTerm2 - Terminal
  • Warp (Referral link) - Terminal I’ve been following Warp’s development for a while. It looks really interesting and overall I’m enjoying it. iTerm2 definitely has some benefits still like direct integration with Tmux, but I think Warp has a lot of potential.

Collections of what others use on their Mac computers:

• nikitavoloboev/my-mac

Display Scaling Issues

A common issue people seem to have with external monitors is getting display scaling to work correctly. The external display seems to end up looking pixelated.

Some potential solutions for this:

• bbhardin/A-Guide-to-MacOS-Scaled-Resolutions: A guide explaining some of the internals and some workarounds available.
• avibrazil/RDM: I assume RDM stands for “Retina Display Manager”. Lets you set your display to unsupported resolutions, helping you achieve the pixel density you actually want.
• waydabber/BetterDisplay: A much more full-featured alternative to RDM. This has a ton of features around XDR/HDR brightness upscaling, dummy displays, DDC controls, and more. Much of it seems to be behind a paywall, but as of writing the price is only $15 USD.