Ask HN: Anyone making a living from a paid API?

Looking for ideas here! New machine will be on OS X. I am currently playing around with Ansible and for now I am able to set up much of the non-dev applications + `pnpm`, `ruby`, `go`. (I based a lot of it on https://github.com/geerlingguy/mac-dev-playbook as I wanted to learn Ansible anyway).

Thank you!

Comments (5)

runjake · 1d ago

First, using Ansible for setting up a single Mac is way overkill. Jeff's only doing it because he literally wrote the book on Ansible. For a single Mac where you want reproducible, just use shell script(s).

Anyway, for my Ansible environment for servers and network devices, I use uv[1]. It works flawlessly.

If I were doing things even more right, I'd host it in a container, but I don't have time for all that right now.

And nobody's mentioned Homebrew[2], yet.

PS: OS X is now called macOS, and at least in some parts, "OS X" is still used to refer to really old OS releases and may generate some confusion.

1. https://docs.astral.sh/uv/

2. https://brew.sh/

yb6677 · 1d ago

I also use Ansible to setup Mac and not overkill at all.

On a new Mac, I install Homebrew, install ansible via Brew.

And then run an Ansible script which installs a series of Brew items (ansible has a brew module) along with other stuff not on brew.

hiAndrewQuinn · 1d ago

For Ubuntu, not Mac, but I maintain a set of 3 shell scripts over at https://github.com/hiAndrewQuinn/shell-bling-ubuntu that put 95% of everything I use on an everyday basis.

I picked shell scripts specifically because I didn't want the overhead of installing eg Ansible, even if its idempotency would be nice. I definitely like Ansible for DevOps on virtual machines, though, it's a solid platform.

aristofun · 1d ago

By restoring from previous machine’s time machine backup apparently.

If it’s a working mac - by following corporate guides.

I wonder why complicate your life?

daryllxd · 1d ago

Hey, thanks - I don't think it's a good idea to time machine my personal laptop to my new work laptop. And definitely I would try to follow the guides if the company has them.

> I wonder why complicate your life?

I wouldn't say it's complicating life? I'm quite having fun tinkering around with it. I intend to use the playbook (or maybe Brewfile as one of my friends recommend that as well) for setting up future machines for my family and I.

Ask HN: Anyone making a living from a paid API?

Ask HN: What is the best LLM for consumer grade hardware?

Volume label field can't be longer than "VolumeLabel" when formatting in Windows

Ask HN: How do I learn practical electronic repair?

Ask HN: What are you working on? (May 2025)

Ask HN: Hardware for 1k RPS?

What motivates you to contribute to open source projects?

Ask HN: What projects do you donate to?

Ask HN: Lisp eval vs. Lisp macros. Are they the same underlying concept?

How to improve interview skill?

Ask HN: Why doesn't Google offer POS credit card reader like Square?

Ask HN: Will new UI coming with iOS 26 be exclusively available with SwiftUI?

Tell HN: Namecheap pre-purchasing searched domain names?

Tell HN: eBay doesn't allow changing country

Ask HN: How do you set up a new dev machine? (2025 edition)

Ask HN: New Economics of Software Development Lifecycle

Ask HN: How are people using ChatGPT to increase productivity in personal life?

Tasks Per Day – A minimalist productivity app that works

Ask HN: What tools do you use to discover competitors?

Ask HN: Career Plateau: Looking for Advice on How to Break Through

Ask HN: Anyone struggling to get value out of coding LLMs?

Ask HN: Management wants to talk to my Datalake. What's the best way to do this?

Can we take a moment to appreciate what kind of web experience we are building?

Ask HN: Is it all becoming ChatGPT now?

Ask HN: Go deep into AI/LLMs or just use them as tools?

Ask HN: Arc is dead, where should we move now?

Ask HN: Why that many more US-based companies are hiring "US-only" remote?

Ask HN: What's the best tool you've used for sprint planning in 2025?

Best Buy is selling a $400 "digital Ethernet" cable for "cleaner, clearer sound"

Ask HN: Building LLM apps? How are you handling user context?

Ask HN: Is anyone using AI conversation partners?

Al-LLM powered eBPF based security platform

We'll backtest your trading strategy for you

Ask HN: Am I old?

Lost in AI-translation

Microcenter Is Back in California

What's your "coworker didn't lock screen" procedure?

Ask HN: Are AIs intentionally weak at debugging their code?

Ask HN: Ban streaming services from playing the same commercial constantly?

Google will delete OAuth clients falsely flagged as unused

Ask HN: What HN posts inspired or changed your perspective the most?

Ask HN: How do I start my own cybersecurity related company?

Ask HN: Any modern mobile friendly family tree / genealogy builders?

Reverse engineering Twitter's new WASM-based "X-XP-Forwarded-For" antibot header

Ask HN: How do you set up a new dev machine? (2025 edition)

Comments (5)