Homebrew

I've been using Homebrew for quite some time now and damn, I wish the first package managers I tried (like MacPorts or Fink) where as awesome as this.

The 3 amazing things about Homebrew are:

• simple - just see how to install it... can it be simpler?
• clean - doesn't spread files outside its folder and uses symbolic links to keep them on the correct location for other apps/packages
• extensible - allows you to create your own formulas to install your own Homebrew packages

I'm able to include this on my regular workflow and simplify a clean/regular install or keep my stuff up to date with it.

The only cons I see is, you need to have Xcode installed, but since I need it on daily basis (to test Web apps on iOS simulator, do some Objective-C coding and even use the gcc version to build some PHP extensions or just play with C) I don't see it as a problem.

Keep in mind that you should install Command Line Tools for Xcode to have a better Homebrew experience.

Just navigate to https://developer.apple.com/downloads/ and select the correct Command Line Tools for your OS X version.

Now you can enjoy your system with updated git (brew install git) and a lot of other cool packages with a simple brew update && brew upgrade command.

If you want to make sure that you are using your brew package instead of the one shipped with OS X, confirm that you have PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH on your ~/.bash_profile file.

Enjoy your life!