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Installation Scripts Documentation

Current Script Comparison (macOS)

install.sh --profile minimal

Philosophy: Bare minimum to get dotfiles working

Installs: - Homebrew (package manager) - Git - GitHub CLI (gh) - Optional: Powerlevel10k theme

Symlinks: - ~/.gitconfig - ~/.zshrc - ~/.ideavimrc - ~/.p10k.zsh

Interactive: - Asks if you want Powerlevel10k - Prompts for SSH key generation - Prompts for GitHub authentication

What's NOT included: - No GUI apps - No Docker - No Node/NVM - No development tools beyond git

install.sh

Philosophy: Install additional tools interactively

Asks about each: - Docker - Node Version Manager (nvm) - pnpm - Yarn - Stripe CLI - Supabase CLI - AWS CLI - Visual Studio Code - Neovim - iTerm2 - Raycast

Why separate? - So you can install only what you need - Can be run multiple times - Non-destructive

install.sh (full)

Philosophy: Install everything (old approach - too much!)

Installs: - All packages from minimal - vim, neovim - tmux, docker - nvm, node, npm, gh - thefuck, pnpm, yarn - tree-sitter - stripe-cli - supabase - angular-cli

GUI Apps (commented out): - iTerm2, Raycast - Spotify, Notion - WebStorm, VS Code - Many more

Problems: - Installs too much you don't need - Can't choose what to install - Slow - Includes apps you'll never use

Your Actual Needs (Cross-Platform)

Based on your usage, you need:

Essential CLI Tools

  • git
  • gh (GitHub CLI)
  • docker
  • node/npm (via nvm)

Development IDEs/Editors

  • WebStorm
  • VS Code (sometimes)
  • Claude Code (new!)

Productivity Apps

  • Google Chrome
  • NordPass
  • NordVPN
  • Figma
  • Notion (maybe?)

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS: - WebStorm: Via JetBrains Toolbox or direct download - Claude Code: Available for Mac

Linux (Arch): - WebStorm: Via AUR or Snap - Chrome: google-chrome (AUR) - Claude Code: Available for Linux - Some apps might be Flatpak

Windows/WSL: - Install GUI apps on Windows side - Use WSL for development tools

What Should Be Unified?

Cross-Platform CLI Tools

These should install on ALL systems: - git + git config - GitHub CLI - Docker - Node/NVM - SSH keys - zsh config - IdeaVim config

Cross-Platform GUI Apps

These should install on ALL systems (where available): - Google Chrome - WebStorm - VS Code - Claude Code - NordPass - NordVPN - Figma - Docker Desktop

What Should Be Optional?

Tools you might not need on every machine: - Stripe CLI - Supabase CLI - Angular CLI - AWS CLI - Specific language tools

Proposed New Structure

1. install_essentials.sh (All OS)

What: Dotfiles + Git + SSH Why: Always needed

Installs: - Git + config - SSH keys - Symlink dotfiles - GitHub CLI

2. install_developer.sh (All OS)

What: Developer tools Why: Your consistent dev environment

Installs: - Docker - Node/NVM - Your zsh config - Dev tools

3. install_apps.sh (All OS)

What: GUI applications Why: Your consistent app environment

Installs: - Google Chrome - WebStorm - VS Code - Claude Code - NordPass - NordVPN - Figma

4. install.sh (All OS)

What: Project-specific tools Why: Not always needed

Asks about: - Stripe CLI - Supabase CLI - Angular CLI - AWS CLI - Language-specific tools

macOS Preferences Script

File: setup_macos_preferences.sh

What it does: - Fast keyboard repeat - Show all file extensions - Better Finder defaults (path bar, status bar, etc.) - Better Dock settings - Better Safari defaults - Terminal settings - Activity Monitor defaults - Screenshot settings - TextEdit defaults

Why separate? - macOS-specific - Modifies system preferences - Can be run anytime - Non-destructive (can be reverted)

Should this be cross-platform? - No - these are macOS system preferences - Linux equivalent would be GNOME/KDE settings - Windows equivalent would be Registry settings - Too OS-specific to unify

Questions & Answers

"Shouldn't it all be for all OS?"

Dotfiles & Config: YES - .gitconfig ✅ - .zshrc ✅ - .ideavimrc ✅

CLI Tools: MOSTLY YES - git, gh, docker, node ✅ - Some tools have different package names per OS

GUI Apps: YES with caveats - Chrome, WebStorm, VS Code ✅ (available everywhere) - NordPass, NordVPN ✅ (available everywhere) - Figma ✅ (available everywhere) - Claude Code ✅ (available everywhere) - Installation method differs (brew vs pacman vs apt)

System Preferences: NO - Too OS-specific - Different APIs/settings per OS

"What are the differences?"

Current scripts: - minimal: Only git + dotfiles - optional: Interactive tool installer - full: Everything (too much)

Proposed scripts: - essentials: Dotfiles + Git + SSH (always run) - developer: Your dev environment (run on all dev machines) - apps: Your GUI apps (run on all machines) - optional: Project-specific tools (run when needed)

What You Should Have

On ALL machines (Mac, Arch, WSL):

CLI Tools: - git + your .gitconfig - GitHub CLI - Docker - Node/NVM - zsh + your .zshrc

GUI Apps (Mac & Arch, not WSL): - Google Chrome - WebStorm - VS Code - Claude Code - NordPass - NordVPN - Figma

Optional (install per-project):

  • Stripe CLI
  • Supabase CLI
  • Angular CLI
  • AWS CLI

Next Steps

I can create:

  1. Unified package lists - Same tools across all OS
  2. Better Arch installer - With your actual GUI apps
  3. Developer profile - One command to install your environment
  4. Comprehensive docs - What's installed, where, why

Would you like me to: - Create a unified "developer setup" that installs the same things on Mac/Linux/Arch? - Update the Arch installer with Chrome, WebStorm, Claude Code, NordPass, etc.? - Create a config file where you list your apps once, and it installs them everywhere?