Sal Soghoian

According to several sources, including MacStories, Sal Soghoian's position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies at Apple has been terminated. Sal oversaw AppleScript, Automator, JavaScript, Terminal and like-technologies.

Before we get all crazy, it is Sal that is no longer at Apple. The technologies remain. Let's hope it stays that way.

Sal is a great guy. I've met him and chatted with him numerous times. He's been evangelizing AppleScript since the System 7 days when he caught the AppleScript fever through his desktop publishing work with Quark. He always paid thoughtful attention to me and my site. He once told me he would make a point of showing my site to Apple engineers as an example of the power and public popularity of AppleScript.

Meanwhile, I am optimistic about the future of desktop automation on the Mac. I guess I have to be.

UPDATE: Sal has written some thoughts about this at his website. Most importantly:

"Seriously, if you have any questions or concerns about the future of user automation, ask Apple. If user automation technologies are important to you, then now is the time for all good men and women to reach out, speak up and ask questions. The macOS user automation technologies include: UNIX CLI (shell, python, ruby, perl), System Services, Apple Events (JavaScript, AppleScript, AppleScriptObj-C, Scripting Bridge), Automator, Apple Configurator (AppleScript, Automator), and Application scripting support in Photos, iWork, Finder, Mail, and other Apple applications."

"Other Apple applications." Like iTunes.