These are some notes I put together prior to and during setting up my new Retina MacBook Pro. If anyone else is setting up a new machine, it may help you with the process.

Prepare Old Machine

• Verify Disk with Disk Utility—see here
• Generate a final TimeMachine backup
• Verify Crashplan backup is complete
• Create a final SuperDuper! bootable backup
• Push changes to remote git repos
• Uninstall Adobe Creative Suite—if you do not do this, you may have license issues

Setup New Machine

Install essential system manipulation tools:

• Check for OS X software updates
• Install f.lux: no need to be uncomfortable during this process
• Install Dropbox
• Install Moom: setup keyboard shortcuts
• Install Alfred: install powerpack and custom hacks
• Install iTerm2
• Install 1Password: sync with DropBox
• Install TextExpander: sync with DropBox

Setup OS X essential tweeks:

• User fonts: Museo and Letter Gothic both essential for me
• Remap Caplock key to Control key
• Change Key Repeat and Delay Until Repeat to fast and short respectively in System Preferences > Keyboard
• Change Trackpad 'swipe between pages' to a three finger gesture
• Max out Trackpad tracking speed in System Preferences
• Install QLStephen
• # Disable the “Are you sure you want to open this application?” dialog
  $ defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSQuarantine -bool false
• # Enable subpixel font rendering on non-Apple LCDs defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 2
• # Disable press-and-hold for keys in favor of key repeat defaults write NSGlobalDomain ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false
• # Set a blazingly fast keyboard repeat rate defaults write NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat -int 0
• # Allow text selection in Quick Look defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection -bool true

Setup Development tools and package management:

• Install Homebrew

• Place Homebrew at the top of your path: export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH

• Run $ brew doctor to detect any problems—I needed to chown 2 directories:

  • $ sudo chown $(whoami) /usr/local/share/man/de
  • $ sudo chown $(whoami) /usr/local/share/man/de/man1

• Install XCode command line tools or GCC Installer for OS X without Xcode

• use Homebrew to install a few essentials:

  • git
  • tmux
  • reattach-to-user-namespace
  • MacVim
  • wget
  • autojump

• Install shell stuff: oh-my-zsh and fish

• Install dotfiles—write a shell script to do this for you or look at the Dotfiles repo for examples

• Install Python the right way: see this guide—essentially:

  1.$ brew install python --framework—make sure /usr/local/share/python is in your path so this version of Python gets picked up 2. $ easy_install pip 3. $ pip install virtualenv 4. $ virtualenv --distribute venv # makes a virtual environment 5. $ pip install WHATEVER YOU NEED

• Install Ruby (do this in Bash)

  1. $ curl -L https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable --ruby
  2. $ bash < <( curl https://rvm.beginrescueend.com/releases/rvm-install-head )
  3. $ gem install WHATEVER YOU NEED

• Install Haskell

  1. brew install ghc # might not need to do this if you install haskell-platform?
  2. brew install haskell-platform

• Install R and/or RStudio if IDEs are your thing

• Pull/Clone git repos to new machine

• Install Adobe Creative Suite

Final Backups:

• Verify Disk with Disk Utility—see here
• Generate a final TimeMachine backup
• Migrate old crashplan to new machine—helpful guide here
• Create a final SuperDuper! bootable backup

Other:

• Install all other software on an as needed basis. I end up installing a lot less than I would if I just installed what was on my old machine.