Originally published at: Retiring Script Debugger | Late Night Software
We are announcing the retirement of Script Debugger as a product.
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You’ve long since earned a rest. SD is the best-designed, friendliest, and most enjoyable development tool I’ve ever used on any platform, and a vast number of us are deeply grateful for it. Thank you.
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Thank you both so much for all the fun and help over the years!
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I thought this day would come someday, but I didn’t expect it to come today.
The first time I use SD, its version was v2.x.
SD and your team’s effort encouraged us for a long years.
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I anticipated this day would come and am saddened and, frankly, fearful at its arrival. To say I make extensive use of Script Debugger and AppleScript is an massive understatement. It will be a devastating loss when Script Debugger finally stops working, hopefully many macOS releases into the future. There is, of course, no replacement.
I cannot thank both of you enough for making Script Debugger and the forums available. I have used Script Debugger for more years than I care to remember. It is such an excellent application, rich with features and capabilities. If only all the software I use were of its caliber.
I greatly appreciate that you will keep the forums available.
Shane: Your participation in both forums has been such a gift. I have learned so very much from you. The explanations and code you’ve provided have made clear so much. They’ve also been the seeds of so many ideas and approaches of mine. Your books are in the top echelon of those I have read. You taught me how to learn on my own how to use AppleScriptObjC.
To both Mark and Shane: I wish each of you the best in your retirement. Your work has touched many, many people and you will leave a great legacy.
Sincerely,
David Brown
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So long and thanks for all the fish, guys! Lord knows you’ve earned your rest. If SD ever stops working on some future macOS update, I’ll be freezing my system on at least one machine.
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What other projects will you embark on? Is something in the works?
I’m still trying to decide what I may do next.
I have developed a series of brain health measurement apps (fatigue, concussion, etc) using EEG headsets for iOS over the last few years.
Here is an iOS app that facilitates Neuroscience research developed with a Neuroscience lab at my local university:
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Mark and Shane, thanks, guys, for everything.
I cannot count how many times you and Script Debugger helped me make great things happen.
I’m glad that ScriptDebugger lasted longer than my career at LA Times (retired last year) but I still use it every day, and I still think AppleScript the best Mac technology out there. For years AppleScript was the only reason we kept several departments running Macs and that wouldn’t have been possible without ScriptDebugger.
Best wishes and good luck to you and all LateNight supporters in your next adventures!
Ed
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While Mark develops apps to measure brain health, I’m just going to try to focus on brain health directly.
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Looks promising. And what about RegexKnife? I’m using it a lot when on iOS. I’d give feedback.
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It feels a bit strange to be in a discussion like this, because for the first 20 years of Script Debugger’s life, I was just another customer and (very demanding) user. So wearing my old customer’s hat, I’d like to publicly thank Mark for doing the really hard work.
That he then invited me to be part of one of the most enjoyable and rewarding projects of my working life was the icing on the cake. It was a crazy notion, and I’m sure he was mostly just relived to have me off his back, but it didn’t seem to work out too badly.
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Yes, RegExKnife sorely needs some love. I’ll probably rewrite it in SwiftUI this year and get it running properly on the Mac as well as iOS.
Feel free to file bugs. I should probable setup a section here for people to discuss it.
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i’ll just registered to say THANK YOU 
other said it already …
Stefan
A Very Grateful Thank You for all these years of a terrific app. How much easier and productive you made my applescripting (and work in general) these last, oh, maybe, 18 years?
Enjoy your new projects!
Mike
The dictionary Explorer view alone has been invaluable.
Many thanks !
I’m piling on the Thank you bus! I will miss Script Debugger desperately. Only all of my enjoyment using your work prevents me from feeling deeply hurt.
It’s an end of an era for the language and the community who you both have done so much to educate and support.
I have learned a great deal from both of your efforts, Shane originally via his forum interventions in mid ‘00s, and then via his ObjC pdfs which I purchased; and then his dialog toolkit. And from Mark, the whole SD experience and particularly the debugging educational experience and the tree map in the Dictionary, which really helped me to understand the syntax for say Keynote text items properties, then properties of other properties etc.
I hope your efforts helped in some, probably rather small, way towards your ‘retirement’ . I know this was not your motivation which was for a much better reason.
With my sincere thanks and appreciation for your fantastic and historical contribution and very best wishes to both of you.
Tim Murphy
I am really sad to see this retired. It’s usually one of the first apps I install on my systems.
Sad to see you go. Thanks for all the work!
– Harald