I finally did it—I bought a MacBook! I've worked as a software engineer for almost nine years but never had my own personal machine. I have a very old MacBook Air, but that was different. It was kind of a gift. Still have it stored somewhere, but it's pretty much useless. I can't upgrade the macOS anymore and the battery requires servicing.
I always wanted to buy one, but I kept putting the idea aside because every company I worked for always provided one and based on my observations, most of my friends or colleagues who have both a personal and a company-provided MacBook rarely use theirs. I figured the same thing would happen if I bought one.
Anyway, my current company’s device policy is very strict (banking industry), which makes me feel anxious about using it for personal stuff, so I figured it’s probably a good time for me to get one. So here I am.
I jot down some of my thoughts while setting up my MacBook:
- I find it crazy how my dotfiles configuration still works fine after all these years, but some installation steps are out of order. For example, to install SwiftLint, I need to have Xcode installed. I probably should fix this and turn it into a single bash script. Someday soon.
- I can’t praise asdf enough. I installed Python, Ruby, and Node with it. Convenient.
- 14-inch MacBook Pro is nice to hold and carry. I always got issued a 16-inch MacBook Pro at work, so while the large screen density is impressive, I really don’t like how heavy it is.
- Space Black is beautiful. However, I don’t really like! how the power adapter is white while everything else is mostly black. I'm not the only one who complained about it, by the way.
- I still can’t decide which code editor theme to use. I’ve been using Dracula theme for years, but I feel like trying out other themes, especially high-contrast themes. Currently, I’m trying out the Catpuccin Mocha theme.
- There are applications specified in my Brewfile that I’m not using anymore. I took the liberty to clean it up.
- I am planning to buy a Proxyman license next. I use it at work and really like how convenient it is. It definitely helps boost my development speed.
So far, it’s been a pleasant experience. I guess I still got the hedonistic pleasure from buying expensive things. I just hope that Apple won’t release the MacBook M4 Pro tonight.