I "UPDATE" My Mac Terminal

Shell VS. Shell Emulator

Aspect	Shell	Shell Emulator
Definition	A native command-line interpreter that directly interacts with the OS kernel.	A program that mimics shell behaviour within another environment or runtime.
Examples	Bash, Zsh, PowerShell	Web-based terminals, VS Code’s integrated terminal, Python subprocess shell simulation
System Access	Direct access to OS processes, file system, and environment variables.	Indirect access—depends on an underlying real shell or sandboxed execution.
Purpose	Executes system commands and scripts natively.	Provides shell-like functionality for convenience, portability, or isolation.
Dependency	Runs directly on the operating system.	Requires a host environment (e.g., browser, IDE, or interpreter) to function.

iTerm2 is an advanced shell emulator for macOS. It extends the default terminal app by providing a powerful interface for interacting with Unix shells such as bash, zsh, or fish.

Aspect	Description
Type	Terminal emulator (not a shell itself).
Purpose	Provides a graphical interface to run command-line shells and processes on macOS.
Key Features	- Split panes and tabs - Hotkey window - Search and autocomplete - Shell integration and trigger automation - Inline image and file previews - Extensive customisation (themes, key bindings, profiles)
Difference from Shell	iTerm2 doesn’t interpret commands—it passes them to the shell (e.g., zsh or bash) running inside it.
Typical Use	Used by developers and power users for productivity, scripting, and managing multiple terminal sessions.

Installation

Install Homebrew

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

After installing, add homebrew to path (assume it’s not already in your path):

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> /Users/[username]/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Remember to replace [username] with your actual username.

Install iTerm2

brew install --cask iterm2

Install Git (if you don’t have one)

brew install git

Install Oh My Zsh

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Install PowerLevel10K Theme for Oh My Zsh

Run this to install PowerLevel10K:

git clone https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git $ZSH_CUSTOM/themes/powerlevel10k

Now that it’s installed, open the ”~/.zshrc” file with your preferred editor and change the value of “ZSH_THEME” as shown below:

ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"

To reflect this change on your terminal, restart it or run this command:

source ~/.zshrc

Install Meslo Nerd Font

Install the font by pressing “y” and then quit iTerm2.

Update VSCode Terminal Font (Optional)

Open settings.json and add this line:

"terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "MesloLGS NF"

Don’t forget to add comma in the previous line:)

Configure PowerLevel10K

Restart iTerm2. You should now be seeing the PowerLevel10K configuration process. If you don’t, run the following:

p10k configure

Follow the instructions for the PowerLevel10K configuration to make your terminal fits your own preference.

Increase Terminal Font Size

1. Open iTerm2 preferences
2. Go to Profiles > Text
3. I increase my font size to about 16px

Change iTerm2 Colors to My Custom Theme

1. Open iTerm2
2. Open iTerm2 preferences
3. Go to Profiles > Colors
4. Download Iterm2 Color Schemes
5. Import the downloaded color profile
6. Select the color profile

Install ZSH Plugins

Install zsh-autosuggestions:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

Install zsh-syntax-highlighting:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

Open the ”~/.zshrc” file in your desired editor and modify the plugins line to what you see below.

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting web-search)

Load these new plugins by running:

source ~/.zshrc

I’ll update the plugin section once I find useful ones.