I’ve just spent three days writing a few macros in Apple’s Shortcuts app. I had budgeted about two hours, since I’ve been programming computers (mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, PCs, Macs) since 1978 using dozens of programming languages; I’ve been using Macintosh since 1984; and I’ve written hundreds and hundreds of Keyboard Maestro macros. The macros didn’t seem like they’d be very complicated.... But yes, three very frustrating days later, I’ve mostly finished.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such buggy software. I’ve certainly never seen such fiddly “no you can’t use the delete key for this, you have to hit the microscopic x instead,” “oh, but for this you have to use the delete key, there’s no other way to do it” type software. And I have never ever seen such counter-intuitive brain-dead design choices.
And at every step, I’ve wondered why they hadn’t patterned their work after @peternlewis’s Keyboard Maestro. I needed to use Shortcuts because I wanted the macros to work on my iPhone and my iPad as well as my Mac. But I’m back writing a Keyboard Maestro macro now and it’s such a relief!
Peter, I’ve not stopped often enough to thank you for the reliable, intuitive, robust IDE and engine that you’ve created, leveraging the best of macOS and miraculously working within the limitations and obstacles that Apple has presented for this kind of software.
I echo those sentiments wholeheartedly. I use Shortcuts for a lot of things because, like you, some things I want to work on my other devices, and also because Shortcuts has some features that other software doesn’t. But I HATE creating shortcuts; the GUI is trash and very counter-intuitive. There’s no other software like KM, no other developer (that I’m aware of anyway) like Peter Lewis, and no other forum like this one.
Hello, same feeling for me. I had already made “difficult tests” a few years ago: without real success for very inconclusive results.
Then, a few weeks ago, I wanted to write two simple macros to alert me to the state of my iPhone battery (less than 20% and more than 80%): the macros work 1 out of 18 times! ... With occasional iOS alerts and abstruse indications!... A horror!... Come on, in the trash!...
No other software has saved me so much time as Keyboard Maestro has. Been using it for around 10 years maybe and if I could add up all the time plus eyesight plus back pain plus boredom of repetitive tasks it has saved me it would add up to a huge amount.
If Peter wanted to come out with a major update (with many of the improvements many here have asked for) I would happily pay. Just don't go the subscription route please! haha
He’s actively working on the next major version. You’ll see him replying in a lot of posts about upcoming features being ‘done for the next version’... which typically means it’s getting close to being released. KM is the one and only software that I pay to upgrade on day 1 of a new release, without even reading about the new features, because I already know it’s going to be worth the upgrade.
Fortunately I no longer work at the company that gave me no other computer choice. During the early years, engineers like me would use AutoHotkey, but then the #$@&%*! IT department prohibited its installation and use.
I completely agree. I had a moment of panic last month: "what if KM ended, or I was in a situation where I couldn't install it?!" KM is so incredibly open-ended and robust, my entire work (and personal) life is crafted on abstraction layer upon abstraction layer of macros - muscle memory across dozens of HIDs in hundreds of variants. You could call it an investment; you could also see it as a house of cards. Only FileMaker could come anywhere close to KM in the discussion of time investment, efficiency in time saved and jeopardy of customizable technological alienation (why drive a car when you can fly a UFO).
I remember when QuicKeys tanked (coder got AIDS, owner attempted to sue - crazy!) and Stairways came on the scene in a breath of fresh minimalism: we all looked at each other like "is this real? Did someone really recontextualize the QK experience in this elegant, powerful alternative?" It allowed a lot of people to keep working in ways that had ended.
@ErikMH thank you for relaying your experience. I could already sense that Shortcuts was going to be a knife in the head, and limited at every turn by Apple's paternalistic greed/security focus. But it helps to know not to bother.
Keyboard Maestro iOS, whatever it will be, and however it will work, I'll buy it 5 years before it is available. KM is so much more than 'keyboard' macros now, perhaps the rebrand will be:
=== MAESTRO iOS ===
Even storing and manipulation of clipboards/variables for transformations on an iPhone would be worthwhile. And of course triggering your macOS desktop KM universe from a robust phone app.
