MacVoices

Adam Engst explains why AI software development should be approached as an evolution, starting with safe, verifiable data analysis, advancing to simple scripts, and eventually building applications. He distinguishes programming from development, arguing that non-programmers can act as product managers who direct AI, demand security checks, define requirements, and create software tailored to problems existing apps do not solve. (3) 
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Show Notes:
Chapters:
Links:
Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS
SetShot by Adam Engst
SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS
Guests:
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld.
His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs.
His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries.
And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure?
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Our conversation with Adam Engst continues with an exploration of  how AI can help non-programmers build sophisticated software by following professional development practices. Adam explains using specifications, architecture documents, and AI-guided decisions to create reliable apps, then examines the approach his app, SetShot, takes to macOS settings, privacy, security, user feedback, Cloudflare, GitHub, and minimizing sensitive data collection. 
MacVoices is supported by Take Control Books. Expert advice from leading tech authors. Visit TakeControlBooks.com and start your library today.
Show Notes:
Chapters:
00:00 Adam Engst on AI-assisted software development
00:11 Take Control Books
00:24 Learning to build software with AI
01:23 Professionalizing AI-assisted development
01:53 When a simple script doesn't need a specification
02:14 Why serious applications should start with a spec
02:55 Creating an architecture document with AI
03:31 Letting AI recommend technologies and explain tradeoffs
03:46 Why AI should ask one question at a time
04:07 Building an architecture through an AI interview
04:30 Maintaining architectural consistency as software evolves
05:03 How guardrails prevent bugs, performance, and security problems
05:35 Security and privacy considerations
05:55 Understanding SetShot's potential privacy concerns
06:05 How SetShot snapshots and compares macOS settings
06:35 Trusting software with access to computer data
06:58 SetShot's online knowledge base
07:39 Submitting unrecognized settings
08:10 Using Claude to create human-readable descriptions
08:38 Sending user feedback safely
09:06 Text replacements and potentially sensitive information
09:48 Minimizing the collection of personal information
10:11 Using Cloudflare Workers to protect user identity
10:41 Sending submissions to GitHub
11:05 What identifying information is actually transmitted
11:15 Addressing the perception of privacy risk
11:47 Understanding the scope of SetShot
12:13 Sensitive information in text replacements
Links:
Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS
SetShot by Adam Engst
SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS
Guests:
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld.
His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs.
His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries.
And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure?
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Adam Engst looks back at HyperCard as an early tool that democratized software creation, then connects its legacy to today's AI-assisted development. He outlines how Claude helped turn an idea for tracking macOS setting changes into a working Mac app, SetShot. Adam discusses Xcode, GitHub, rapid iteration, and the value of visual feedback in his development process, and how AI lowers programming barriers without eliminating the need for thought, judgment, and effort. 
This edition of MacVoices is supported by MacVoices After Dark. What happens before and after the shows is uncensored, on-topic, off-topic, and always off the wall. Sign up as a MacVoices Patron and get access!
http://patreon.com/macvoices
Show Notes:
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and the legacy of HyperCard
02:19 Adam Engst's experience with HyperCard
04:42 How HyperCard made programming accessible
06:46 HyperCard, TidBITS, and early digital publishing
11:40 How personal computers democratized development
12:04 Lowering programming barriers for people with ideas
12:58 Why software development still requires serious thought
13:20 The limitations of one-shot AI programming
16:15 Patience, thinking, and working effectively with AI
18:02 Introducing SetShot and Adam's programming experience
18:11 The problem that inspired SetShot
21:00 Using Claude to turn an idea into working software
23:40 Moving from scripts toward a Mac application
24:42 Setting up the development environment and Claude Code
24:55 What AI still can't do for you in Xcode
25:18 Starting the programming and rapid iteration
Links:
Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS
SetShot by Adam Engst
SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS
Guests:
(From TidBITS)
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld.
His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs.
His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries.
And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure?
Support:
Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon
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In the August 2026 MacVoices Update, Chuck outlines how a little time off slowed down some projects, reviews new episode artwork designed to better communicate each show's subject, discusses why feedback is so important to what you hear and see, and delivers the Support Report form the month. 
Show Notes:
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Flock cameras have ignited a debate over surveillance, privacy, data collection, and public resistance. The MacVoices panel weighs in on the debate. They also discuss the risks of government-sponsored cyberattacks carried out by private companies, growing opposition to data centers over power and infrastructure demands, and the regulatory challenges surrounding their expansion.
The panel includes: Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Web Bixby, Eric Bolden, Jeff Gamet, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius.  
This edition of MacVoices is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Get access to the MacVoices Slack and MacVoices After Dark by joining in at Patreon.com/macvoices.
Show Notes:
Chapters:
00:00 Flock Cameras, Cyber Mercenaries, and Data Center Pushback
00:29 The Growing Flock Camera Controversy
04:04 Returning to Flock Cameras and Public Awareness
05:57 Axon, Palantir, and Law Enforcement Technology
07:58 Surveillance Cameras Beyond the United States
11:53 Cameras Everywhere and Privacy Concerns
12:50 Private Companies Conducting Cyberattacks
14:50 Government Cyber Operations and Private Contractors
16:52 Data Center Development and Community Pushback
17:43 Data Center Moratoriums and Local Resistance
19:58 Lessons From Data Center Development in Texas
21:28 Power, Infrastructure, and the Costs of Data Centers
22:09 The Case For and Against Data Center Moratoriums
23:52 Exploring the MacWeek Archive
26:23 Panelist Wrap-Up and Closing Comments
Links:

The 'Flocklash' is getting louder—and more creative
https://www.fastcompany.com/91594793/flock-backlash-camera-surveillance-protests-grow-louder
 
White House recruits security firms to hack overseas cybercriminals
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/08/white-house-recruits-security-firms-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals/
 
President Trump signs a memo letting the US government partner with private companies to conduct cyberattacks abroad against criminal groups targeting Americans
https://www.techmeme.com/260813/p2#a260813p2
 
Gov. Josh Shapiro takes a hard line against 'predatory' data center developers in Pennsylvania
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2028-election/gov-josh-shapiro-executive-order-data-centers-pennsylvania-rcna593177
 
PBS station fears losing 50TB of data after being ghosted by cloud storage provider
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/08/pbs-station-fears-losing-50tb-of-data-after-being-ghosted-by-cloud-storage-provider/
 
The best look into Apple's past comes from this 'MacWeek' archive
https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/19/the-best-look-into-apples-past-comes-from-this-macweek-archive?utm_source=rss
 
Guests:
Get detailed bios and contact information about for the panel on the MacVoices Live! Panel page on our web site:
https://macvoices.com/macvoiceslive/macvoices-live-panel/
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