Installation Guide for Mac
In this section, you will install the tools and software required for the course.
Before You Begin
First, create accounts for the following services if you have not already:
Additionally, accept the invite for your section on Slack. You will receive the link to your class-specific channel during orientation.
Microsoft Excel
Excel will not be used for activities, assignments, or assessments, but you may need to use Excel to open files. We suggest using the free trial version of Microsoft Office 365.
Microsoft Office 365 trial period is a month-long; we recommend initiating the free trial on the first day of class. Follow the link and install Office 365. You will not be charged anything as long as you cancel before the free trial period ends.
There are also several free alternatives to Microsoft Excel, such as Google Sheets and Apache OpenOffice. You are more than welcome to use one of these, but be aware that we will be using Excel in class and there may be some differences in commands and functionality.
XCode
To download Xcode, complete the following steps:
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Open the App Store and search for Xcode.
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Download and install Xcode. When the download is complete, open the program.
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Agree to the terms of service.
Git
Follow these instructions to set your Git username for every repository on your computer and set your email address for every repository on your computer.
VS Code
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Go to the setup page on the VS Code website and select Mac as your platform.
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Open your Downloads folder and click on the file to unzip.
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Drag the file to your Applications folder.
Install pgAdmin and Postgres
Coding with SQL requires an editor with the ability to execute the scripts that are created by developers. This section guides you through the process of installing pgAdmin and Postgres on a Mac.
Install Anaconda for Python
We just have one more tool to download before you are ready to go. Use the following link to install Anaconda for Python:
You're Done!
That's all for the installations. Your computer has everything that you'll need to begin on the first day of class!