Ask HN: New to OS X; is homebrew safe to install for non-developer?

2 pointso_s_m11y ago10 comments

I just bought a MBA and have heard a lot about Homebrew. There seems to be a ton of packages that it installs. Is this necessary for a non-developer? Would it open me up to a lot more vulnerabilities, or is it like aptitude and only installs those packages when I tell it to? Thank you.

10 comments

yen22311y ago

I'd say homebrew is a little bit more secure than others, because they are pretty fussy about not installing to system-wide libraries.

That said, I can't think of a reason for a non-developer to use the packages found on homebrew.

CyberFonic11y ago

I've been using a MBP (currently on v10.9.4) for over five years as a developer and I've never had the need to install or use Homebrew. All the programs that I use are available as .dmg or .pkg for installation. Of course YMMV.

I suggest that you wait time a "must have" program is only available as Homebrew, then go with it. As a general rule, I think it is unwise to install programs that you "think you might" need. As Sanswork hints, Apple App Store is where you'll get your OS updates from.

o_s_mOP11y ago

Great answers folks. I don't think I will need it in the immediate future, and will attempt to only install necessary software that I anticipate that I will need. I bought the 4gb RAM MBA and it does well...much better in Chrome than in Safari..still learning.

caw11y ago

There's a project called CakeBrew (https://www.cakebrew.com/) that was featured on HN a while back. It adds a GUI to homebrew.

sanswork11y ago

It is exactly like aptitude. The choice of packages could open you up to more vulnerabilities but homebrew itself shouldn't.

It's one of the first things I install whenever I reinstall my OS. That said if you're not doing dev I'm not sure what packages on it you are looking for?

o_s_mOP11y ago

Thanks. In Linux I used aptitude quite often to clean old kernel versions and install other verified software, and it felt good to install software from a relatively safe location. So, does this only install things that are in the Mac App Store?

xxxmadraxxx11y ago

No. Homebrew is pretty much exclusively for installing GUI-less command line 'stuff' in OSX. Things like Nginx, mySQL, RVM, Golang, Bitcoind, etc. etc. Unlikely you'd even need it unless you're doing some kind of development or non-Apple-approved tinkerage.

sanswork11y ago

No, homebrew has a different repository from the app store.

1 more reply

tumdum_11y ago

Is HN safe from non-developers?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

10 comments

yen22311y ago

I'd say homebrew is a little bit more secure than others, because they are pretty fussy about not installing to system-wide libraries.

That said, I can't think of a reason for a non-developer to use the packages found on homebrew.

CyberFonic11y ago

o_s_mOP11y ago

caw11y ago

There's a project called CakeBrew (https://www.cakebrew.com/) that was featured on HN a while back. It adds a GUI to homebrew.

sanswork11y ago

It is exactly like aptitude. The choice of packages could open you up to more vulnerabilities but homebrew itself shouldn't.

It's one of the first things I install whenever I reinstall my OS. That said if you're not doing dev I'm not sure what packages on it you are looking for?

o_s_mOP11y ago

xxxmadraxxx11y ago

sanswork11y ago

No, homebrew has a different repository from the app store.

1 more reply

tumdum_11y ago

Is HN safe from non-developers?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse