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macOS setup for data science

Posted on by Firas Sadiyah 3 mins read

Here, I summarise how I setup my macOS for the purpose of Data Science. Ultimately, I should invest some time into automating the process.

Install Command Line Developer Tools

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xcode-select --install

Install HomeBrew

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/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Turn off analytic (optional)

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brew analytics off

Install iTerm

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brew install iterm

Configure iTerm

iTerm Configure1 iTerm Configure2 To download different colour schemes, visit iTerm Themes iTerm Configure3

Install Go2Sehll

Download and install from Go2Shell, then configure it to work with iTerm:

Go2ShellConfig1

Install git

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brew install git

Configure git

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git config --global user.name "userName"
git config --global user.email "email@mailprovider.com"
git config --global core.excludesfile '~/.gitignore'

Configure ssh key

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mkdir ~/.ssh #if it does not already exist
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
cd ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "email@mailprovider.com"
enter a keyname
enter a passphrase
cat ~/.ssh/keyname.pub

Copy the key to GitHub. Go to GitHub Settings. From the left margin, choose SSH and GPG keys and click on New SSH key. Paste the value copied above and give the key a name.

GitHubConfig1

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eval `ssh-agent -s` # if needed
ssh-add ~/.ssh/KEYNAME

Install zsh

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brew install zsh
echo "$(which zsh)"
sudo vi /etc/shells

Edit /etc/shells/ and add the path /usr/local/bin/zsh at the end of the file.

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chsh -s $(which zsh)

Install prezto

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git clone --recursive https://github.com/sorin-ionescu/prezto.git "${ZDOTDIR:-$HOME}/.zprezto"

Configure prezto

Create soft links ln -s to all the files found in ~/.zprezto/runcoms/ and change each link’s NAME to .NAME:

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cd ~
ln -s .zprezto/runcoms/z* .
mv zlogin .zlogin
mv zlogout .zlogout
mv zpreztorc .zpreztorc
mv zprofile .zprofile
mv zshenv .zshenv
mv zshrc .zshrc

Prezto has many useful modules and here is a list of all modules available. You can edit .zpreztorc to enable any of them:

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# Set the Prezto modules to load (browse modules).
# The order matters.
zstyle ':prezto:load' pmodule \
  'environment' \
  'terminal' \
  'editor' \
  'history' \
  'directory' \
  'spectrum' \
  'utility' \
  'completion' \
  'git' \
  'archive' \
  'osx' \
  'python' \
  'ruby' \
  'fasd' \
  'autosuggestions' \
  'command-not-found' \
  'dnf' \
  'dpkg' \
  'emacs' \
  'gnu-utility' \
  'gpg' \
  'haskell' \
  'helper' \
  'homebrew' \
  'macports' \
  'node' \
  'ocaml' \
  'pacman' \
  'perl' \
  'rails' \
  'rsync' \
  'screen' \
  'ssh' \
  'tmux' \
  'wakeonlan' \
  'yum' \
  'syntax-highlighting' \
  'history-substring-search' \
  'prompt'

Install Sublime Text

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brew cask install sublime-text

Configure Sublime Text

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sudo ln -s /Applications/Sublime\ Text.app/Contents/SharedSupport/bin/subl /usr/local/bin/subl

And then install Package Control to enable various useful packages.

Sublime Text Config1

Now, using the keyboard shortcut Cmd + Shift + p to invoke the Command Palette.

Sublime Text Config2

Type Install Package and hit enter, then type the name of the package to be installed. Visit Package Control website to search for useful packages.

Install R

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brew tap homebrew/science
brew install openblas
brew install r --with-openblas

Install RStudio (Preview version)

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brew install Caskroom/cask/rstudio-preview

Hints

Open finder from terminal

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open .

Show/hide hidden files

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defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES # to show hidden files
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO  # to hide hidden files

Then, press alt while clicking on Finder icon to Relunch Finder.