Homebrew linked on Astoundingly useful programming tools
Homebrew is a very useful tool to install on your Mac. As I described in Photo-editing with Persistence of Vision, you can use it to install new languages that don’t come with your computer.
You can also use it to keep the languages that did come with your computer up-to-date. Python, for example, is notoriously out of date on the Macintosh’s default installation. With Homebrew, you can keep both the latest copy for your own scripts while not harming the default installation for the built-in scripts from Apple.
Homebrew is very neat for the applications you can install. You can use it to install Inkscape, for example, which is a full-featured drawing application. If you want to go old-school, you can install a text-oriented browser on the command line, such as elinks, links, or lynx.
If you really want to go old-school, install adventure.
As Apple starts removing scripting languages from the Mac, Homebrew will become more and more an essential tool for weekend scripters.
