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Nov 4, 2014 - 2 MIN READ

HOW TO: Set up a new Macbook for Django Development
Complete macOS setup guide for Django developers. Step-by-step installation of Python, pip, virtualenv, PostgreSQL, Node.js, and essential development tools.

Ryan Prater
You just got a fresh Macbook, you want to install things in priority order, your name is Ryan Prater. This is how you do it.
- Remove everything from the dock except Finder
- Open Safari, install Chrome
- Sign in to retrieve bookmarks and settings across all Chrome accounts
- Install Evernote
- Install OSX updates in the app store
- Install Xcode
- Install PyCharm
- OSX prompts you to download a Java Runtime Environment
- Install Skype for out of office communication
- Install HipChat for in office communication
- Open Terminal, change the default color scheme to "Novel"
- Install pip
$ sudo easy_install pip
- You might have to install mercurial to install packages
- Install virtualenv
$ sudo pip install virtualenv
- Install virtualenvwrapper
$ sudo pip install virtualenvwrapper
$ mkdir ~/Dev/Envs/virtualenvs
- Add these lines to your
.bash_profile
export WORKON_HOME="$HOME/Dev/Envs/virtualenvs"
source /usr/local/bin/virtualenvwrapper.sh
- Customize your Terminal experience in your
.bash_profile
alias repos='cd ~/Dev/Repos'
alias gs='git status'
alias syncdb='python manage.py syncdb'
alias migrate='python manage.py migrate'
alias shell='python manage.py shell'
- Add color to your terminal
- Install Heroku Toolbelt
- Install Postgres.app
- Add this line to your bash profile to fix a
pg_config
path issue:PATH="/Applications/Postgres.app/Contents/Versions/9.3/bin:$PATH"
- Add this line to your bash profile to fix a
- Install Node
$ npm install less -g
- Edit your
bash_profile
to include/usr/local/bin
on your PATH (or whereverlessc
is) - Restart your machine
- Install less globally:
$ sudo npm install -g less
- Install Spotify
You are now ready to take the world by storm. Go and be productive.
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