How I Setup a New Development Machine - Using Scripts to Automate Installs and Save Time

A new MacBook can be turned into a fully working development environment in under 10 minutes by combining Homebrew with a personal “dotfiles” repository and install scripts that automate both software installs and terminal/editor preferences. The core idea is simple: instead of rebuilding the same setup from scratch every time, the machine’s configuration—terminal look, shell aliases, developer tools, and key apps—gets recreated from a repeatable script so the process is fast and consistent.

After the out-of-the-box Mac setup (user creation and Wi‑Fi), the workflow starts with two quick quality-of-life tweaks in Terminal: switching to a dark profile, increasing the font size to 30, and adjusting anti-aliasing and background transparency for readability. Then Homebrew is installed via the official Ruby command pulled from Homebrew’s website and run in Terminal. The script assumes administrator access (the creator is the sole user on the laptop), and it notes that non-admin users would need to run the install with appropriate permissions.

With Homebrew in place, the setup pivots to automation. Git is checked first (running `git` to confirm it’s available), and then the creator clones a GitHub repository named `dotfiles` into the home directory. That repository contains bash scripts and configuration files that drive the rest of the setup. The main entry point is `install.sh`, which takes the home directory as an argument. Inside, it creates symlinks from the repository’s dotfiles (such as `bash_profile`, `bashrc`, prompt configuration, and aliases) into the user’s home directory, overwriting older versions. It also downloads Git auto-completion and runs additional installation steps for command-line tooling and Sublime Text preferences.

Software installation is handled by a Homebrew-based script (`brutus.sh`). It installs command-line essentials like Python 3 (since a fresh Mac typically lacks Python 3), plus utilities such as `tree`. It also uses Homebrew Cask to install a broad set of desktop apps: Google Chrome, Firefox, Sublime Text, VirtualBox, SourceTree, Spotify, Discord, Google Drive backup and sync, Skype, VLC, and several other utilities including Divi and Hyper-related apps. The script also installs the Source Code Pro font.

Sublime Text is configured through `sublime.sh`, which pulls Package Control and copies custom settings, build systems, and shortcuts into Sublime’s expected locations under the user’s home directory. A command-line convenience symlink is created so Sublime can be launched via `subl` (e.g., `subl .dotfiles`). After running the combined `install.sh`, the creator verifies the results: Terminal styling updates correctly, Source Code Pro appears in font preferences, installed apps are present, `python3` works, and `tree` renders the directory structure.

The automation isn’t perfect. Sublime’s “installed packages” behavior didn’t fully apply on the first run, leading to missing theme/package errors until packages were installed manually. Even so, the overall payoff remains large: what used to take an entire day manually now takes only minutes for the heavy lifting, while smaller tasks—signing into accounts, rearranging the Dock, and setting a background—are left for manual completion. The scripts are continuously improved and uploaded so future setups get even smoother.