Terminal Command-Line Utility

First, it is important to know that the Terminal command line utility interfaces directly with the macOS operating system, while, second, all command-line operations exist within a shell. Below are somesome essential macOS commands.

# Shells: All of the below shell commands put you, the user, in the specified shell.
# Z shell usage:
zsh
# Bourne-again shell usage:
bash
# Generic shell usage:
sh
# Korn shell usage:
ksh
# C shell usage:
csh

# Print Working Directory: (outputs the name of the directory that you are currently working in)
pwd

# Change Working Directory: (Note: replace 'raymondstone' with the owner/administrator of the computer)
cd /Users/raymondstone/Developer
cd /Users/raymondstone/Documents
cd /Users/raymondstone/Music
cd /Users/raymondstone/Pictures
cd /Users/raymondstone/Movies
cd ~/
# The last command directly above is just a shortened version of the following command:
cd /Users/raymondstone

# List the names of the files and directories in the current working directory:
ls

# Create a new directory named 'build' (where 'build' can be replaced with any name you choose)
mkdir build

# The open command (opens a GUI window containing a form of the included file)
open file.txt
open /Users/raymondstone/Documents
open /Applications/Xcode.app
open /Applications/VisualStudioCode.app

# Remove a file or directory (this can also be accomplished by clicking and dragging a file or directory to the Trash, though it isn't actually as secure as using the below commands)
rm file.txt
rm -r directory_name

# Move or rename a file (again, this can also be accomplished by clicking and dragging a file or directory to another location, though it also isn't actually as secure as using the below commands)
mv old_name.txt new_name.txt

# Copy a file (this can be accomplished by right-clicking on a file or directory, scrolling down to where it says "Copy", then navigating to another location, right-clicking on it and selecting "Paste Item")
cp source.txt destination.txt

# Compile a C program with the Unix standard C compiler on macOS using the C20 standard
cc -std=c20 -o my_program.c my_program
# Or a C++ program using the Unix standard C++ compiler on macOS
c++ -std=c++20 -o my_program my_program.cpp
# Compile a C program using the GCC C compiler on macOS using the C++20 standard
gcc -std=c++20 -o my_program.c my_program
# Or a C++ program using the GCC C++ compiler on macOS
g++ -std=c++20 -o my_program my_program.cpp
# Or using Clang, which is the default compiler on macOS
clang -std=c++20 -o my_program.c my_program
# Or using Clang for C++
clang++ -std=c++20 -o my_program my_program.cpp

Installing Homebrew:

# Download and install Homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Installing Visual Studio Code with Homebrew:

# Install Visual Studio Code using Homebrew:
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Installing Vercel CLI (Command-Line Interface):

# Install Vercel using Homebrew:
brew install vercel-cli

Installing Git and the Github CLI (Command-Line Interface):

# Install Git using Homebrew:
brew install git

# Install the Github CLI using Homebrew:
brew install gh

I have been skipping the git push command and the other two git commands mentioned above all together. Should I replace using the vercel --prod, vercel open commands with the git add ., git commit -m "update", git push commands all together? Will those 3 commands still accomplish what the 2 vercel commands accomplished and more?

Yes, you absolutely should switch! Replacing your Vercel commands with the Git workflow is considered the "best practice" for modern web development. In short: Yes, those 3 Git commands will accomplish exactly what your 2 Vercel commands did, plus they add a "safety net" for your code. The Workflow Comparison Action vercel --prod git push Updates the Website Yes (Instant) Yes (Triggered automatically) Saves Code History No Yes (You can "undo" mistakes) Cloud Backup No Yes (Safe if your laptop breaks) Collaboration Difficult Easy (Standard for teams) How it works when you switch When you run git push, your code travels to GitHub. Because your Vercel account was originally linked to that repository, Vercel "watches" for that push. The moment it sees new code, it starts a Deployment Pipeline. Git Push: You send code to the cloud. Vercel Build: Vercel automatically pulls that code and builds your site. Live: Your site updates for the whole internet. Why the Git way is "More" While it feels like you're just swapping one set of commands for another, the Git way gives you two major superpowers: The "Time Machine": If you make a mistake today and break the site, you can use Git to "roll back" to exactly how the code looked yesterday. With the Vercel-only method, once you deploy over your old code, the old version is much harder to recover. The "Vercel Preview": If you ever work on a big change but aren't ready to go live, you can push to a different "branch." Vercel will give you a Preview URL (a private link) to see the changes before you hit the "Production" button. One Small Warning The only difference you will notice is speed. vercel --prod is a "direct upload," so it feels a few seconds faster. git push requires Vercel to download the code from GitHub and build it. It might take 30–60 seconds longer for the changes to show up on your URL, but the trade-off for safety is worth it.

git add .

git commit -m "your description of what changed"

git push

gh repo clone cli/cli

I want to use probably gh but maybe git also to generate my Arizona Constructivist website. I prefer the command line in almost all scenarios. What does gh offer that git commands that generate and update my website doesn't?

Installing Google Gemini CLI (Command-Line Interface):

# Install Google Gemini CLI using Homebrew:
brew install gemini-cli

gemini auth

Installing Xcode via the App Store or with Homebrew at the Command-Line:

# Install Xcode using Homebrew: If you just need gcc, make, git, and the standard compilers to build software, run:
xcode-select --install
# To install the actual Xcode IDE (for iPhone/Mac app development) via terminal, you generally use a tool called mas (Mac App Store CLI).
# First, install mas (Mac App Store command-line tool):
brew install mas
# Then, install Xcode:
mas install 497799835
# Note: This takes a long time and requires you to be signed into the App Store on that machine.

Installing Octave, GnuRadio, Csound, Halide, LaTeX, Pulsar, and BBEdit from the command-line:

# Install Octave, GnuRadio, Csound, Halide, libpng, LaTeX, Pulsar, and BBEdit using Homebrew:
brew install octave
# Install GnuRadio using Homebrew:
brew install gnuradio
# Install Csound using Homebrew:
brew install csound
# Install Halide using Homebrew:
brew install halide
# Install libpng using Homebrew:
brew install libpng
# Install LaTeX with or without a GUI using Homebrew:
brew install --cask mactex-no-gui
brew install --cask mactex
# Install Pulsar using Homebrew:
brew install --cask pulsar
# Install BBEdit using Homebrew:
brew install --cask bbedit

What are Octave, GnuRadio, Csound, Halide, LaTeX, Pulsar, and BBEdit?

Octave is...

GnuRadio is...

Csound is...

Halide is...

#include "Halide.h"
#include "halide_image_io.h" // Helper for loading/saving PNGs

using namespace Halide;

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
    Var x, y, c;
    Func gradient;

    // The Algorithm: define color based on coordinates
    gradient(x, y, c) = cast(x + y + c);

    // The Execution: create an 800x600 RGB image
    Buffer output = gradient.realize({800, 600, 3});

    // Save the result
    save_image(output, "gradient.png");

    return 0;
}

g++ my_filter.cpp -g -std=c++17 \
-I /opt/homebrew/include \
-L /opt/homebrew/lib \
-lHalide -lpng \
-o my_filter

./my_filter

Buffer input = Tools::load_image("input.png");

LaTeX is...

Pulsar is...

BBEdit is...

Installing ImageMagick and SoX:

The ImageMagick and SoX command-line utilities are also used in the Arizona Constructivist workflow for image and audio processing, respectively. These powerful tools allow for batch processing and automation of tasks that would be time-consuming to perform manually through a graphical interface. For example, ImageMagick can be used to convert image formats, resize images, and apply various effects, while SoX can be used to manipulate audio files.

# Installing ImageMagick using Homebrew:
brew install imagemagick
# Install SoX using Homebrew:
brew install sox

Playing Audio Files, Video Files and Displaying Image Files

Audio files (like .aif, etc.) can be played from the command line with the following command:

afplay TheRippler.aif

Video files (like .mov, etc.) can be played from the command line with the following command:

open MyMovieFile.mov

Image files can be displayed from the command line with the following command:

open MyImageFile.png

Installing and Using FFmpeg:

FFmpeg is the undisputed heavyweight champion for anything involving video and command-line processing. If you’re looking for a tool that mirrors the "Swiss Army Knife" energy of ImageMagick but for video, FFmpeg is exactly what you need.

The Industry Standard: FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a free, open-source framework that can decode, encode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, filter, and play almost anything humans have created. To convert a sequence of PNG files (e.g., img001.png, img002.png, etc.) into a .mov file, you would use a command like this:

# Install FFmpeg using Homebrew:
brew install ffmpeg

ffmpeg -framerate 24 -i img%03d.png -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mov

Breaking down the command:

The ImageMagick Way

Believe it or not, ImageMagick can actually do this itself if you have FFmpeg installed on your system as a delegate. It essentially acts as a wrapper.

magick convert *.png animation.mov

Note: While convenient, this offers much less control over bitrate, compression, and encoding settings than using FFmpeg directly.

Other Noteworthy Tools

ffmpeg -pattern_type glob -i '*.png' output.mp4

Are you looking to do a simple slideshow, or are you trying to compile frames for an animation or time-lapse?

Since you’re doing both, you’ll find that FFmpeg is perfect because it handles "perfect" digital frames (animation) and inconsistent "real-world" photos (slideshows) with just a few flag tweaks.

Here is how to handle both scenarios efficiently:

For Animation (Frame-by-Frame)

When compiling animation frames, you usually want "lossless" or high-quality output to preserve the crisp lines and colors you rendered.

ffmpeg -framerate 30 -i frame_%04d.png -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -pix_fmt yuv420p animation.mov

For Slideshows (Still Photos)

If you are using regular photos (like .jpg or .png from a camera), they might be different sizes or orientations. You also likely want each "frame" to stay on screen for more than a fraction of a second.

ffmpeg -loop 1 -t 3 -i image1.jpg -loop 1 -t 3 -i image2.jpg -filter_complex "scale=1920:1080:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1920:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" slideshow.mp4

ffmpeg -framerate 1 -i img%d.png -c:v libx264 -r 30 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mov

ffmpeg -loop 1 -t 1.5 -i img1.png -loop 1 -t 1.5 -i img2.png -loop 1 -t 1.5 -i img3.png -loop 1 -t 1.5 -i img4.png \
-filter_complex \
"[0:v][1:v]xfade=transition=fade:duration=0.5:offset=1[v1]; \
 [v1][2:v]xfade=transition=fade:duration=0.5:offset=2[v2]; \
 [v2][3:v]xfade=transition=fade:duration=0.5:offset=3" \
-pix_fmt yuv420p output.mov

Installing The Youtube Video And Audio Download Command-Line Tool:

Install

Here is the command that downloads only the audio of a youtube video into your current directory in the form of a .wav file.

yt-dlp -x --audio-format wav "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN_R4pR1hck"

Installing Meson with Homebrew:

Below is the command for installing the Meson software development package with Homebrew:

brew install meson ninja