Guides

Install Git and generate an SSH key pair for authenticating with GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket without typing a password on every push.

The de facto package manager for MacOS -- installs command-line tools and apps that Apple doesn't ship, via a single terminal command.

Configure MacOS's built-in, automatic, versioned backup system -- to an external drive, a network share, or a Time Capsule -- so a drive failure or bad update doesn't cost you your files.

Install and switch between several Linux distributions side by side under WSL2 -- useful for testing across distros, or keeping a clean distro per project without them interfering with each other.

Install Node.js via a version manager (nvm-windows) rather than a single fixed installer -- lets you switch Node versions per project, matching what most real-world Node projects expect.

Install Python via winget and set up an isolated virtual environment per project -- the standard, officially recommended way to avoid dependency conflicts between projects.

Install VS Code and a small set of genuinely essential extensions -- the widely-used, free code editor, configured for a real day-to-day development workflow rather than the bare default install.

Run a real Linux kernel alongside Windows and containerize workloads with Docker Desktop -- the standard dev environment setup for Windows 11.

Replace the legacy Windows console with the modern, tabbed Windows Terminal and upgrade from Windows PowerShell 5.1 to the actively-developed, cross-platform PowerShell 7.