Mac Power Users 588: macOS Services, with Sal Soghoian
May 16, 2021
Sal Soghoian, a former Apple employee and expert in Mac automation, shares fascinating insights into the history of Automator and macOS Services. He discusses the evolution of these powerful tools, emphasizing their role in enhancing productivity and user experience. The conversation includes humorous anecdotes about development challenges and successes, as well as tips for non-technical users looking to leverage automation. Sal also delves into the integration of Quick Actions and how users can create customized workflows to streamline their tasks.
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Point of Need
- Services deliver functionality at the point of need, directly where you're working in the OS.
- This contextual approach eliminates the need to search through menus for specific functions.
Unsung Hero of Snow Leopard
- Sal Soghoian significantly improved automation on the Mac during the Snow Leopard development.
- This included rewriting the automation architecture and adding features like custom services.
Automator's Origin Story
- Automator's Lego-style automation was a novel concept, inspired by Unix pipelines and scripting components.
- Its interface evolved through various iterations based on feedback from different Apple VPs.
