Omarchy on a 2017 MacBook Pro: A Developer's Perspective
My Omarchy Experience on a 2017 MacBook Pro
It’s not every day that a new operating system truly impresses me, especially when running on older hardware. However, my recent experience with Omarchy on my trusty 2017 MacBook Pro has been overwhelmingly positive. This setup has, hands down, provided the best development environment I’ve encountered to date.
For years, this particular MacBook Pro has been a workhorse. While it’s still a capable machine, newer macOS versions have sometimes felt a bit sluggish, and the overall experience wasn’t as snappy as it once was. Enter Omarchy. From the moment I installed it, the system felt revitalized. The interface is clean, intuitive, and remarkably responsive, breathing new life into the hardware.
The Good: A Superior Development Setup
What truly sets Omarchy apart for me is its out-of-the-box readiness for software development, particularly for my Elixir and Phoenix projects. The underlying architecture seems incredibly well-optimized, and I’ve found that all my development tools and dependencies integrated seamlessly. Compiling Elixir code, running Phoenix servers, and managing dependencies feel incredibly fast and efficient. The responsiveness of the terminal, the smooth operation of my IDE, and the overall lack of friction in my daily workflow are truly remarkable. It genuinely feels like Omarchy was designed with developers in mind, offering a stable and powerful foundation for crafting applications.
The Not-So-Good: Camera and Audio Workarounds
No system is perfect, and my experience with Omarchy did hit one minor snag: the built-in camera and audio on my 2017 MacBook Pro are not recognized or functional. While this is a slight inconvenience, it’s easily remedied. I’ve opted to use external USB devices for both my camera and microphone, which actually provide better quality anyway. It’s a small workaround for an otherwise exceptional operating system.
The Future: Dedicated Elixir and Phoenix Development
Moving forward, this 2017 MacBook Pro, powered by Omarchy, will be my dedicated machine for all Elixir and Phoenix development. The performance gains and the sheer joy of working in such a streamlined environment have convinced me that this is the optimal setup. For anyone looking to breathe new life into older Apple hardware and create a top-tier development workstation, especially for Elixir and Phoenix, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Omarchy a try. It truly is the best setup for developing I’ve had so far.