Setting up my new Machine
Tags: productivity, webdev, javascript, vscode
Published: 2021-04-09 13:56:03

---
title: Setting up my new Machine
published: true
description: I was recently setting up a new machine and these are the tools I reached for first.
tags: productivity, webdev, javascript, vscode
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u5korhoola2x9rip8crt.jpeg
canonical_url: https://laurieontech.com/posts/set-up/
---


I started my new job this week, and that meant setting up a new machine. I have a set of tools that I'm comfortable with, so choosing what to download wasn't complicated.

What I did find interesting is the tools I "just had to have" and those I haven't yet configured yet. A lot of my choices are available on my [uses page](https://laurieontech.com/uses/), but it also needs an update.

So with that, I'm going to talk through my must-haves this past week!

## Terminal

Over the years, my terminal has become my programming control center. Who would have thought! When I first started doing development work, I was incredibly intimidated by the command line. I suppose building CLIs will rid you of that fear 🤷.

As it turns out, my terminal setup requires a lot of things. Oops!

- [iterm2](https://iterm2.com/): I find this a nicer option than the built-in apple terminal.
- [oh-my-zsh](https://ohmyz.sh/): All my machines use this and I've gotten comfortable with it rather than bash.
- [starship](https://starship.rs/): This is a newer tool for me but I love the information-rich command prompts and the overall look.

Once the look and feel of my terminal was ready, I needed additional software.

- [homebrew](https://brew.sh/): The essential package manager for macOS.
- [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm): My JavaScript-loving heart can't live without it.

I also set up Xcode command line tools so I could get git working. But that was most of my first week essentials in terminal.

## Apps

Now it was time to get my most-used applications. My machine came preloaded with [Slack](https://slack.com/), so I didn't need to worry about that. But there were a handful of other things I wanted right away.

- [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/): My IDE of choice. I'll dive into this more in a moment.
- [Magnet](https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/): I actually didn't download this until day three and was wondering why my monitor was bugging me so much. Windows managers are so key!
- [Elgato Control Center](https://help.elgato.com/hc/en-us/sections/360004115951-Elgato-Control-Center-Software): This is how I control my lighting setup and make my video chats higher quality.
- [Clockwise](https://www.getclockwise.com/): I technically downloaded the chrome extension and integrated it with Slack, but close enough. Calendar tools are a first-week necessity.
- [Google Doc dark mode](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-docs-dark-mode/lgjhepbpjcmfmjlpkkdjlbgomamkgonb?hl=en): Another chrome extension, but this one helps my eyes a ton when I'm trying to do a lot of deep focus reading.

That's a surprisingly low number of apps. I'm sure it'll grow in the coming weeks.

## VS Code

Now we get to the really good stuff. I'm a developer after all! As it turns out, I didn't do much coding in this first week, but I did look at a lot of existing projects. So what were my go-to extensions?

- ESLint
- Prettier
- Bracket Pair Colorizer
- Indent Rainbow
- JavaScript and Typescript
- Peacock
- Monokai theme

And that's the current list! It'll get longer, but you can already tell that it's focused on readability. I don't necessarily know what functional helpers I'll need yet.

## Yay first week!

So that's my current computer setup. It's connected to all my existing hardware and you can read more about that on my [uses page](https://laurieontech.com/uses/). Thus far, I've done a lot of reading, had plenty of onboarding chats about logistics, and started to get a handle on what my new role is. Excited for what's to come.