I rely my Mac for work and like to create an additional backup just in case. This time around, I used Time Machine since Super Duper failed to complete the clone style backup.
- I used a Samsung T7 Shield and it backed up 1.5TB in about 40 minutes.
- Tested restoring a file from each backup destination.
- Now that the backup is done (my father always said: “it is not done until it is tested”), proceed to clean install Sequoia.
Clean Install Sequoia
- Check out: macOS Sequoia clean install: a comprehensive guide
- In previous years, I opted for Case Sensitive APFS because it helps when working with Unix-based servers. However, the lack of support has made me opt against this. In the event you really want Case Sensitive, you can create a Case Sensitive disk image and mount it as needed.
Create a bootable installer
Once you’ve backed up your Mac, the next step is to create a bootable macOS Sequoia installer. That way, when you’ve deleted everything on your startup disk, you can boot from the USB installer.
- Grab a USB stick with a capacity of at least 16GB. Connect it to your Mac and use Disk Utility to erase it, formatting it as APFS and naming it ‘macOS Sequoia installer’.
- Next, open the App Store and search for ‘macOS Sequoia’. Click Get and wait for it to download.
- When the installer has finished downloading, it will open automatically. Press Command-Q to quit.
- The installer file will remain in your Applications folder.
- Go to Applications > Utilities and open Terminal.
- Type or paste the following command:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/macOS\ Sequoia\ installer
- Press Return.
- Type in your admin password if requested.
- Wait for the installer to be created.
Erase your Mac
- Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Go to General > Transfer and Reset.
- Choose Erase all Content and Settings.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to erase your Mac.
Install macOS Sequoia
Once you have erased your Mac, make sure the USB stick with the installer on it is connected to your Mac.
- Reboot your Mac. On a Mac with Apple silicon, press and hold the power button until you see the startup options screen and choose the USB installer. On an Intel-based Mac, hold down Option when you press the power button and choose the USB installer when asked.
- Wait for your Mac to boot.
- The installer will start automatically.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to install macOS Sequoia and set up your Mac.
Installing The Essential MacOS Apps
- Node Version Manager
- Swish for macOS
- SSH keys on macOS
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa- Edit .ssh/config so that you don’t have to enter your SSH passkey every time
Host *
IgnoreUnknown UseKeychain
UseKeychain yes
AddKeysToAgent yes
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa
- Homebrew
- How to install the latest ruby on M1 Macs
- Warp: The terminal for the 21st century
- AlDente-Charge-Limiter: macOS tool to limit maximum charging percentage
- Arq: Cloud backup software for Mac and Windows
- 1Password: Password Manager for Families, Enterprise & Business
Installing Java JDK:
brew install --cask temurin
Ref: Installing Java on macOS 13 Ventura – Wolf Paulus
Preferred git pull config for merging in a single merge when necessary, otherwise don’t create an extra merge commit:
git config --global pull.rebase false
git config --global pull.ff true
git config --global merge.ff true
Mac OS Preferences
- Turn off “Rearrange spaces automatically”
- Turn on “Group windows by application”
- Turn off “Click desktop”
- Swipe between spaces to four fingers
- Swipe between pages to three fingers (this helps me avoid accidentally navigating back when I am trying to scroll)
- Change the default location for screenshots: press Shift-Command-5, click on Options and choose “Other Location” to choose a destination
Other Great Mac Apps
- iStat Menus
- ForkLift 4 – most advanced file manager and FTP client for macOS
- Spark – Smart. Focused. Email.
- Bartender 5 – Take control of your Menu bar
- Arc from The Browser Company
- PNPM Installation –
corepack enable pnpm - Screens Connect – Make your computer reachable from anywhere
Note: Python3 comes pre-installed on Sequoia.
Great AI Mac Apps
My Favorite Sequoia Features
With Sequoia 15.2, we got several of Apple’s Artificial Intelligence features. The main thing I’m excited about is how much of this intelligence runs locally on my Mac rather than in the cloud where it’s bound to be hacked at some point.
Transcription
You can record and transcribe in Apple Notes and Voice Memos:
- Summarize an audio transcript
- There are a ton of paid tools for meeting transcription. Now this is built into MacOS for free.
- This works offline on M1 Macs and iPhones. It even works on iPhone 12 mini.
- Right-click and then use Writing Tools to create a summary or pull out Key Points. Note that this step happens in the cloud. For a completely local workflow, use RecurseChat or Ollama to generate the Key Points.
- One tradeoff here is that it does not identify the individual speakers like many paid solutions do.
- I am enjoying recording Voice Memos on my Apple Watch and then using the transcription on my Mac to turn into ToDos or Notes.
- This works better than tapping the “mic” icon and transcribing that way because it is more intelligent about actually capturing what I am trying to say.
