iTerm2 and zsh | vividbreeze Dev Blog

This article outlines how to install my preferred development environment using iTerm2 and zsh (Z shell) together with some plugins on MacOSX. It doesn’t go into much detail and describes a hands-on installation of these tools.

Install iTerm2

My favourite shell on the Mac is iTerm2. You can download it directly from the webpage or install it with brew:

brew cask install iterm2

Here you can find a comprehensive cheat sheet for iTerm2.

Install zsh

Next, I install (oh-my-)zsh as my preferred shell. on-my-zsh is a tool for managing the zsh configuration (themes, plugins). It is installed on-top of zsh.

brew install zsh zsh-completions

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Change the current shell to zsh using

chsh -s $(which zsh)

Use this cheat sheet or a more detailed look at the zsh commands.

Configure zsh

Configure the command prompt

Add or change the line following line in ~/.zshrc to make the command prompt a bit shorter

DEFAULT_USER=$USER

DEFAULT_USER=`whoami`

Install the agnoster or cobalt2 Theme

I use the agnoster theme with zsh. The theme already comes with zsh. Alternatively, you can download agnoster.zsh-theme to ~/.oh-my-zsh/themes/.

Edit ~/.zshrc and change

ZSH_THEME="agnoster"

Alternatively, you can use the similar cobalt2 theme, which doesn’t come with zsh. Here you have to install cobalt2.zsh-theme manually to ~/.oh-my-zsh/themes/.

ZSH_THEME="cobalt2"

Install the Power Patched Font

For the agnoster theme, you need to install the power patched font

git clone https://github.com/powerline/fonts.git --depth=1

cd fonts

./install.sh

cd ..

rm -rf fonts

Then change the font and the font-size in iTerm to the powerline fonts (Meslo 14pt).

Install the git plugin

The git plugin for zsh already comes with the zsh installation. Use an editor to edit ~/.zshrc and add (or remove the #)

plugins=(
   git
)

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Christoph Moser

My background lies in software-development and software-architecture. I have been working for over 20 years for national and multi-national organisations in large and small teams. In 2006 I came in touch with agile values and principles. Since then I am applying these values on a daily basis as an Agile Coach and Scrum Master. However, I still can’t detach myself from software-development. Hence, I develop some minor projects or experiment with technology I hear from the teams I work with.

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iTerm2 and zsh - 14/03/2018