Everything You Need To Know About Homebrew

Homebrew is a package manager that allows you to install applications that are not available in the AppStore. That is, it only works in conjunction with MacOS. But the question of what is Homebrew for Mac can be answered more extensively. In fact, it’s a very simple tool that allows you to ease many tasks in the process. Homebrew also acts as a missing package manager for MacOs. This is how the creator of Max Howell says it is.

It is worth once to understand all the features of the file manager in order to use it effectively in the future. And in practice it shows itself perfectly in the environment of both experienced users, developers, administrators, and even beginners. 

How was Homebrew created?

The Homebrew program has reached a level of demand and popularity, so many wonder what its success is. The point is that the developer focused primarily on the user experience and taking care of them. This is evidenced by the introduction of the high-level programming language Ruby, which differs from the standard one in its advantageous characteristics. In addition, the care for users is shown in:

• Constant prompts and help in solving questions;
• There are commands to correct and edit;
• A wide range of features;
• Free download;
• Root rights are not necessary;
• The use of dependencies. 

Of course, this is not the entire list of benefits, but listed the main things that the developer himself noted.

In Homebrew you can often see a tendency to help. For example, if something has gone wrong, the system will try to notify the person. The file explorer even searches for identical or similar problems on Github. If the system can’t help, however, there is a function for editing and correcting. That is, the user can improve it.

As for dependencies, in Homebrew they are present and installed on the device, unlike competitors. Their main advantage is to save time and effort. In addition, when downloading applications, large dependency bars are considered unreliable. 

There are no restrictions on downloading command prompt instruments only. In addition, you can download desktop programs. This feature is enabled, so no additional purchases are needed. Due to the lack of need for root permissions, packages are most often saved in the home directory. The file manager is completely free, but this does not affect its effectiveness in any way. If you check out the principle of its work, the official site has data for a voluntary monetary donation. The main thing is to make sure that you are on the official Homebrew site.

What else can Homebrew do?

Homebrew was originally designed to compile applications from source code. But that’s not all it can do. Together with Homebrew cask, it is able to load programs from the terminal. You can find detailed information and read the documentation in almost any language on the official website. Downloading applications is done by replacing the link. That is, programs are placed in their own directories. 

Many functions are automated, making life easier for the user. Software updates can also be set up. They will happen independently, so you don’t have to keep track of whether your version is already out of date or not. The system reliably saves all software in commonly used formats. It is worth remembering that previous versions remain on the drive, so if there is not enough memory, you can delete them.

What do you need to know about installation?

If you go to the official Homebrew website on the homepage you can see the installation notice. There is a link there that you need to copy and paste into the terminal. By the way, you can open the terminal by pressing the spacebar and typing its name. Then there is a startup, the insertion of ciphers and the process of creation continues.

This method is not the only one. Even on the official site there is a source that suggests other options for downloading. This is good, because everyone can choose for themselves the most suitable, convenient and understandable method. 

It is important to understand that before downloading the file manager, you need to know other nuances. For example, have an idea of its structure and understand what the terminal is. If the user is not familiar with this, it is recommended to learn this base first.

There are also requirements, the absence of which leads to the inability to boot the system. These criteria include having an updated version of MacOS (minimum 10.9). But there is a way to boot when this doesn’t matter. Intel CPU system requirement, XCode, and shell support also play a role.

Conclusion

Although Homebrew is designed for MacOs, some sources say that it is more versatile towards Linux and Windows. In any case, this file manager demonstrates excellent results in contrast to some competitors. It is easy to use if you are an experienced developer. But it is also possible to understand all the features if you allocate a certain amount of time. The codes, at first glance, look big, but in fact everything is simpler.

If you want to simplify the use and management of software packages, Homebrew is an ideal option that has been around since 2009. The main goal of the system is to provide the creation of software, taking into account the tastes of different users. And it has succeeded in doing so.