Remembering Alex Hay, the Maker of Toolbox Pro

John Voorhees, writing at MacStories:

I have some sad news to share with the MacStories community. Recently, Alex Hay, the developer of Toolbox Pro and other apps, passed away after a battle with cancer. [...]

The news of Alex’s passing reached us just as Federico and I were finalizing our plans for Automation April, leaving us shaken. Our reactions were the same: to use Automation April, an event that brings all corners of the Apple automation community together to remember and honor Alex’s memory.

So, with his family’s blessing, we’re dedicating Automation April 2023 in memory of Alex Hay, a brilliant and beloved member of the automation community who was taken from us far too early at the age of 36. MacStories is also making donations to the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK in Alex’s name, and we’d love it if you would join us in making a donation using the links above too.

If you’re ready for a gut punch, here’s Hay on Reddit just a few weeks ago, lamenting the too-far-in-the-future release date for the upcoming game Starfield. Fuck cancer.

I can’t say I knew him well, but I’d interacted with him a few times, and know he was a longtime DF reader. His apps Toolbox Pro and Logger for Shortcuts are my two favorite Shortcuts utilities. (I’ve always been a printf() debugger and that’s what Logger enables for Shortcuts hacking.)

Dedicating MacStories’s annual Automation April in Hay’s honor is a splendid idea, as is using it to raise money for cancer research.

Update, August 2023: Snailed It Development:

We’re truly honoured to be able to announce that we have taken over development of Toolbox Pro, Logger for Shortcuts, and Nautomate. All three apps were originally developed by indie developer Alex Hay before he tragically passed away back in March after a battle with cancer.

Alex was a well loved member of the indie development community, featuring on numerous podcasts and articles. He was always known as being a kind and generous man, being willing to share his time and knowledge with anyone who asked.

★ Friday, 31 March 2023