#How to install & set up linux on a mac install#

#How to install & set up linux on a mac install#

Installing MacPortsД«efore you use MacPorts, youвЂ™ll need to install Xcode to gain access to a set of higher-end developer tools. We can use MacPorts to install these missing commands, making the macOS command line nearly as capable as its Linux counterpart. Since macOS doesnвЂ™t come with many of the вЂњstandardвЂќ utilities included in most Linux distros, moving from LinuxвЂ™s command line to macOSвЂ™ Terminal can sometimes be a let down. This way, you donвЂ™t need to deal with opaque build instructions or confusing dependencies while still getting access to a wide range of the best and most powerful command line utilities. When you find what you need, MacPorts downloads and installs the appropriate software and dependencies in the right places. Using a downloaded command line interface, you can search MacPortsвЂ™ library of software.

HereвЂ™s how it works: MacPorts hosts a collection of programs, called packages or вЂњportsвЂќ in MacPorts parlance. Applications like GIMP or GUI versions of command line utilities like diff can often be downloaded through MacPorts after a little exploring. Most of these applications are open-source command-line utilities, but there are a fair share of GUI-based applications available as well. With MacPorts you can install Linux applications on macOS from the command line. MacPorts is a command-line package manager for macOS.

It handles downloading, installing, updating and managing certain applications and their dependencies within the operating system.

If youвЂ™re familiar with apt-get from Linux, then you know what a package manager does.