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@ -19,30 +19,29 @@ Here's why you may prefer Homebrew to the alternatives:
Packages are installed into their own prefix (eg. /usr/local/Cellar/wget)
and then symlinked into the Homebrew prefix (eg. /usr/local).
This way packages can be managed with existing command line tools. You can
This way the filesystem is the package database and packages can be
managed with existing command line tools. For example, you can
uninstall with rm -rf, list with find, query with du. It also means you
can easily install multiple versions of software or libraries and switch
can install multiple versions of software or libraries and switch
on demand.
Of course you don't have to do anything by hand, we also provide a
Of course, you don't have to do anything by hand, we also provide a
convenient and fully-featured four-letter tool called brew.
4. You don't have to sudo
It's up to you. We recommend not--see the relevant later section.
It's up to you.
5. Easy package creation
Packages are just Ruby scripts. Generate a template with:
5. Create new package descriptions in seconds
Package descriptions (formula) are simple Ruby scripts. Generate a
template with:
brew create http://foo.com/tarball-0.8.9.tgz
Homebrew will automatically open it for you to tweak with TextMate or
$EDITOR.
Or edit an existing formula:
brew edit foo
6. DIY package installation
6. Package descriptions not required
MacPorts doesn't support the beta version? Need an older version? Need
custom compile flags? The Homebrew tool-chain is carefully segregated so
you can build stuff by hand but still end up with package management.
@ -59,9 +58,6 @@ Here's why you may prefer Homebrew to the alternatives:
./configure `brew diy`
cmake . `brew diy`
This means you can also install multiple versions of the same package and
switch on demand.
7. Optimization
We optimize for (Snow) Leopard Intel, binaries are stripped, compile flags
are tuned to your exact Mac model. Slow software sucks.
@ -74,13 +70,12 @@ Here's why you may prefer Homebrew to the alternatives:
9. No duplication
MacPorts is an autarky -- you get a duplicate copy of zlib, OpenSSL,
Python, etc. Homebrew isn't, and as a result everything you install has
less dependencies and builds significantly faster.
Python, etc. Homebrew uses what is already there, and consequently,
most stuff has zero dependencies and builds faster.
Homebrew can integrate with Ruby gems, CPAN and Python EasyInstall. These
tools exist already and do the job great. We don't duplicate packaging
effort, we just improve on it by making these tools install with more
management options.
We resist packaging stuff that is already packaged. So we have a [wiki][]
page that describes how best to use RubyGems, Pip (or easy_install) and
CPAN with OS X and Homebrew.
10. Fork with Git
The formula are all on git, so just fork to add new packages, or add extra
@ -97,10 +92,12 @@ Here's why you may prefer Homebrew to the alternatives:
There's no conclusive scientific evidence as yet, but I firmly believe
it's just a matter of time and statistics.
Why you might not want to use Homebrew:
I know I've made it sound so awesome you can hardly wait to embrace the fresh,
hoppy taste of Homebrew, but I should point out that it is really new and
still under heavy development. Also:
1. It's a little more hands-on than the competition. For example, we don't
set up postgresql for you after installing it, but we do provide
set up PostgreSQL for you after installing it, but we do provide
instructions. This isn't apathy, it's by design -- Homebrew doesn't make
assumptions about how you want your software to run. You have to have some
knowledge or be willing to learn to use Homebrew for some tasks.
@ -110,20 +107,13 @@ Why you might not want to use Homebrew:
3. We don't support PowerPC or OS X less than Tiger (though you could always
maintain your own fork for such things if you like…)
I know I've made it sound so awesome you can hardly wait to embrace the fresh,
hoppy taste of Homebrew, but I should point out that it is really new and
still under heavy development. Thanks!
Max Howell -- <http://twitter.com/mxcl>
Installation
============
Homebrew is pretty flexible in how it can be installed and used. What follows
are probably the simplest methods.
You can install Homebrew anywhere:
Download
--------
mkdir homebrew
curl -L http://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/tarball/master | tar xz --strip 1 -C homebrew
@ -135,75 +125,60 @@ Homebrew can already be used, try it:
Notice how Homebrew installed Git to homebrew/bin/git. Homebrew never touches
files outside its prefix.
Installing to /usr/local
------------------------
We think /usr/local is the best location for Homebrew because:
We recommend installing to /usr/local because:
----------------------------------------------
1. It's already in your PATH
2. Other software checks /usr/local for stuff (eg. RubyGems)
3. Building your own software is easier when dependencies are in /usr/local
2. It makes it easy to install stuff like Ruby Gems
Build tools all look to /usr/local for library dependencies they need. Thus
it should be much less troublesome to build your own gems, etc.
But… don't sudo!
----------------
Well clearly you can sudo if you like. Homebrew is all about you doing it your
way. But the Homebrew recommendation is: don't sudo!
On OS X, this requires your user to be in the admin group, but it doesn't
require sudo:
Homebrew can be used with or without sudo, but, OS X was designed to
minimise sudo use, you only need it occasionally. For example, as long as your
user is in the admin group, this just works:
cpan -i MP3::Info
OS X is designed to minimise sudo use, you only need it for real root-level
stuff. You know your /System and /usr are as clean and pure as the day you
bought your Mac because you didn't sudo. Sleep better at night!
If you are already the kind of guy who installed TextMate by dragging and
dropping it to /Applications, then you won't mind if libflac and pngcrush are
installed under your user privileges too. Lets face it; Homebrew is not
installing anything system-critical. Apple already did that.
Let this be the last sudo you do for quite some time:
Using sudo all the time is annoying, but far worse — it conditions you to type
in your root password without thinking about it. Homebrew compliments OS X
so you are unlikely to install anything that really needs to be chown:root.
Let this be your last sudo for some time:
sudo chown -R `whoami` /usr/local
_NOTE_: Performing the above command *may* break some programs that are already
installed in /usr/local. One specific example is mysql. Fixing mysql may be
as simple as:
_NOTE_: If you already installed, eg. MySQL into /usr/local then the recursive
chown _may_ break it. Fixing MySQL should be as simple as:
sudo chown -R mysql:mysql `brew --prefix`/mysql
But! I already have a bunch of junk in /usr/local
-------------------------------------------------
Homebrew can co-exist with any software already installed in its prefix.
sudo chown -R mysql:mysql /usr/local/mysql
Installing to /usr/local
------------------------
curl -L http://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/tarball/master | tar xz --strip 1 -C /usr/local
Homebrew can co-exist with any software already installed in its prefix.
You may prefer this third party [installer script][sh] or [.pkg installer][pkg].
Using git to install
--------------------
If you already have git installed then this is the easiest way to install:
Updating
--------
To update you need git (brew install git). The following will soon be part of
the brew update command, it merges with whatever is already there:
cd /usr/local
git init
git remote add origin git://github.com/mxcl/homebrew.git
git pull origin master
Note the above steps can also be used to install Homebrew if you prefer.
Building Stuff
--------------
Almost everything Homebrew installs is written in C, so you need Xcode:
<http://developer.apple.com/technology/xcode.html>
Many build scripts assume MacPorts or Fink on OS X. Which isn't too much of a
problem until you uninstall them and stuff you built with Homebrew breaks. So
uninstall them (if you prefer, renaming their root folders is sufficient).
<http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ#uninstall>
<http://www.finkproject.org/faq/usage-fink.php#removing>
Uninstallation
==============
@ -257,47 +232,19 @@ Show expensive packages:
du -md1 /usr/local/Cellar
A more thorough exploration of the brew command is available at the [Homebrew
wiki][wiki].
RubyGems, Python EasyInstall and CPAN
=====================================
These tools are already designed to make it easy to install Ruby, Python and
Perl stuff. So we resist the temptation to duplicate this packaging effort and
thus avoid accepting such formula into the main tree (although sometimes it is
necessary or prudent).
However it's a nice option to get these other packaging systems to install
into Homebrew and there are work-in-progress instructions for how to do this
on the [wiki][].
Contributing New Formulae
=========================
Formulae are simple Ruby scripts. Generate a formula with most bits filled-in:
Create a formula thusly.
brew create http://example.com/foo-1.2.1.tar.bz2
Check it over and try to install it:
Homebrew automatically opened Library/Formula/foo.rb in your $EDITOR. You can
now install it:
brew install foo
brew install git
Check the [wiki][] for more detailed information and tips for contribution.
If you want your formula to become part of this distribution, fork
<http://github.com/mxcl/homebrew> and send mxcl a pull-request. Alternatively
maintain your own distribution. Maybe you want to support Tiger? Or use
special compile flags? Go ahead that's what git is all about! :)
The easiest way to fork is with the [github-gem][], so potentially this is
your workflow:
brew create http://example.com/foo-1.2.1.tar.bz2
git commit Library/Formula/foo.rb
github fork
git push myname master
github pull-request
Now check the [wiki][] for more information.
Licensing
@ -306,22 +253,8 @@ Homebrew is mostly BSD licensed although you should refer to each file to
confirm. Individual formulae are licensed according to their authors' wishes.
FAQ
===
1. Can Homebrew replace MacPorts?
Maybe. But remember, Homebrew is still incomplete. Be forgiving in your
approach and be willing to fork and contribute fixes. Thanks!
The Wiki
========
The [wiki][] has almost excessive detail on most topics.
2. Is there an IRC channel?
Yes, <irc://irc.freenode.net#machomebrew>.
3. And it's on Twitter?
Yes, <http://twitter.com/machomebrew>.
4. And a mailing list?
Yes, <homebrew@librelist.com>, <http://librelist.com>.
[wiki]: http://wiki.github.com/mxcl/homebrew
[github-gem]: http://github.com/defunkt/github-gem
[sh]: http://gist.github.com/203926
[pkg]: http://demaree.me/x/7
[wiki]:http://wiki.github.com/mxcl/homebrew