Mac

App Favorites

I've left default Apple apps off this list (like Calendar, and Music), but I use those as well.

Apps to Consider

Great list of open source Mac apps: https://github.com/serhii-londar/open-source-mac-os-apps

List of Homebrew Casks: https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/

Retired Apps

  • Bartender - Organize Mac menu bar

  • Virtual Box - X86 virtual machines

Keyboard shortcuts of note

  • Dictation - Ctrl twice (needs to be set in System prefs) / Meh + D

  • Siri - Hold Opt Space / Meh + S

  • Keyboard Maestro Macro - Meh + T

  • Lock Screen / Put Display to Sleep - Ctrl Shift Q

  • Clipboard History (KM) - Ctrl Opt Cmd V

  • 1Password Autofill - Cmd

  • 1Password Global - Cmd Shit \

  • Shortcat (Superkey) - Right Cmd F

(KM): Custom Keyboard Maestro shortcut

(Superkey): Right Cmd mapped to Hyper key using Superkey or Karabiner

Useful Terminal Commands

Check disk stats like lifetime read and writes: $ smartctl --all /dev/disk0

2017 MacBook Pro (about ~3 years of usage): Data Units Read: 746,318,540 [382 TB] Data Units Written: 100,074,549 [51.2 TB] Power On Hours: 1,349

Check system uptime: $ uptime

Check system sleep / wake cycles: $ pmset -g log|grep -e " Sleep " -e " Wake "

Backup Exclusions

Time Machine

  • ~/.dropbox

  • ~/Dropbox/.dropbox

  • ~/Dropbox/.dropbox.cache

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker

  • docker.driver.amd64-linux/Docker.raw

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/Xcode/watchOS DeviceSupport

Backblaze

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker

  • ~/Library/Application Support/NVIDIA

  • docker.driver.amd64-linux/Docker.raw

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/coresimulator

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/Xcode/watchOS DeviceSupport

Homebrew Packages

Get list of top level packages with $ brew leaves

  • apr-util

  • aspell

  • autoconf

  • awscli

  • carthage

  • cmake

  • composer

  • cputhrottle

  • freetds

  • glib

  • gmp

  • heroku/brew/heroku

  • imagemagick

  • libpq

  • libsass

  • libxslt

  • libzip

  • lynx

  • mcrypt

  • pkg-config

  • python@3.9

  • smartmontools

  • unixodbc

  • webp

  • yajl

  • yarn

Launchd services

List non-Apple services: $ launchctl list | grep -v com.apple (-v inverts the grep match)

Remove service: $ launchctl remove NameHere

More info about launchd from the maker of LaunchControl.

Preventing a Mac From Waking Up Randomly

In Settings / Notifications / Do Not Disturb: Check the box to turn on Do Not Disturb when the Display is Sleeping (I also have it set to turn on DND from 10pm to 7am, when the screen is locked, and when mirroring)

Unconfirmed ideas:

In Settings / Battery / Power Adapter disable Wake for Network Access

In Settings / Bluetooth / Advanced disable Allow Bluetooth Devices to Wake This Computer

In Settings / Battery / Power Adapter turn off Sleep When Display is Off

References

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