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BBEdit Returns To the Mac App Store (barebones.com)

Posted by msmash on from the it-all-works-out,-eventually dept.

Bare Bones Software this week announced the return of BBEdit, a popular text, code, and markup editor, to the Mac App Store after a nearly five year hiatus. Bare Bones Software: When the Mac App Store debuted in 2011, BBEdit was one of its first products available for sale. However, due to technical and business constraints we encountered in the store, we decided to withdraw BBEdit from the Mac App Store in 2014. Following BBEdit's exit from the Mac App Store, we had many conversations with our customers, and with Apple, regarding the issues that we had encountered with the store. In the spring of 2018, Bare Bones and Apple announced that, subsequent to the release of macOS Mojave (10.14) and the accompanying refresh of the Mac App Store, BBEdit would be returning to the store.

This was made possible by changes to the OS itself which allow Mac App Store versions of BBEdit to function to their fullest extent while complying with Mac App Store rules; as well as changes to the Mac App Store business mechanics which make it possible for us to distribute our software through the Mac App Store as part of a sustainable business model. A limited features version of BBEdit is free to download and use, while the suite with all the features is priced at $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year. BBEdit remains available on a perpetual license basis for $49.99 via Bare Bones Software's online store and at participating resellers.

Further reading: The Old Guard of Mac Indy Apps Has Thrived For More Than 25 Years.

22 comments

  1. Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not me

    1. Re: Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Canâ(TM)t believe /. didnâ(TM)t give any consideration to your personal predilections. Truly, this is a world gone mad.

  2. Visual Studio Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now that Visual Studio Code is on the Mac, and it's free, I don't see a need for BBEdit anymore.

    1. Re:Visual Studio Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yikes.

      Imagine writing software for a proprietary platform.

    2. Re:Visual Studio Code by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I know, right? That's something people would actually get PAID for!

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    3. Re:Visual Studio Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, this one's going in my cringe compilation.

    4. Re: Visual Studio Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That attitude doesn't get you hired. I'd rather a dev who can output code that functions quickly without being hamstrung by their tools.

      VS Code is great, free, so why not use it?

      Software is more competitive than ever, so every business $ counts. Quicker dev with better tools is competitive advantage and greater job security.

      I use both VS and VSCode daily amd produce large amounts of quality business software using them.

    5. Re:Visual Studio Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I found it easier just to buy a Windows machine. It already has plenty of free software, some of which isn't available on the Mac or only for a fee (SciTE is free on Windows, but costs $40 on Mac).

    6. Re: Visual Studio Code by tepples · · Score: 1

      VS Code is great, free, so why not use it?

      Because it uses Electron, and the employer has declined the RAM upgrade required to run multiple applications that use Electron without thrashing swap.

  3. Still using TextWrangler by OzPeter · · Score: 2

    I'm still using the free TextWrangler from Bare Bones. It works fine for me on High Sierra even though Bare Bons says

    If you are an existing TextWrangler customer, it’s time to switch to BBEdit. We promise that you will feel right at home, because the two products are identical in every way that you’re used to. And you still don’t have to pay anything, unless you want to support us by buying a license.

    TextWrangler is not compatible with macOS 10.13 (High Sierra). Please install and use BBEdit instead.

    Of course my MacBook pro can't do Mojave, so that's another reason for sticking with TW as according to MacRumors

    The Mac App Store version requires macOS Mojave 10.14.2 or later, while the direct version requires macOS Sierra 10.12.6 or later.

    And I just checked the App Store and thankfully it won't let me download BBEdit.

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    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    1. Re:Still using TextWrangler by betsuin · · Score: 1

      > I'm still using the free TextWrangler from Bare Bones.

      Yep, me too on High Sierra 10.13.6 - I also quite like BlueFish but I usually run that on my Mac under an X session off of a Debian box.

    2. Re:Still using TextWrangler by swimboy · · Score: 2

      I had the old App Store version, and when this happened, the people at BareBones only asked me to send a copy of my receipt (which I could still download from the App Store) and they sent me a license for the stand-alone version, no muss, no fuss. I also recall that this process was clearly spelled out right on the front page of their website.

      --
      Ask me how the Heisenberg Principle may or may not have saved my life.
    3. Re:Still using TextWrangler by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's bitztream the autism-hating, custom EpiPen-hating, Musk-hating, Qualcomm-hating, Firefox tabs-hating, Slashdot editors-hating Slashdot troll!

  4. didn't the old guy retire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not gonna post links cuz it's only /.
    The old guy( no disrespect) retired.
    Apparently some new ppl are picking up the torch and are running with it.
    Not sure why the users are using it but, that's what I think about crack too
    Users gotta use.

  5. Why is the logo a giant jew star? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can us filthy goyim really trust this product?

  6. VSCode is better now by GlobalEcho · · Score: 2

    BBEdit was great for its era, but I use other editors now. VSCode, for this formerly anti-Microsoft nerd, has been excellent.

  7. What isn't proprietary? by tepples · · Score: 2

    Which operating system with a GUI and installable apps marketed to residential end users isn't proprietary? Windows is proprietary, macOS is proprietary, iOS is proprietary, Android has been gradually moving functionality out of AOSP which is free and into Google Play Services which is proprietary, and video game consoles are definitely proprietary.

  8. It's not just back... by RoloDMonkey · · Score: 1

    It's not just back, it is all over the front page of the app store. Right now, 3 out of the 5 panels on my front page are glowing recommendations of BBEdit.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/KCQ5...

    --
    Long live the Speaker Bracelet
    Rolo D. Monkey
  9. lulz, PAY for an editor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why would i pay for an editor? theres vim, atom, that ms one...paying for one is just dumb. paying monthly or yearly for one even dumber.

  10. So by BitztreamNotARealNam · · Score: 2

    How's life in the hypocrite lane?

  11. A bit late now, unless ... by bb_matt · · Score: 1

    ... unless it's as useful as vscode, or sublime, or atom.

    I'm not sure of the history, but for me, sublime was a game changer and then I adopted VSCode and haven't looked back.

    I'm unconvinced BBEdit will ever be able to catch up to editors such as this, as there's such a vast ecosystem of quality third party plugins to cover pretty much every need.

    I'll give it a whirl again though, for old times sake...