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Losing a giant

I learned today that Charles Edge, one of the smartest people I’ve been privileged to know in my life, has passed away. I don’t know more details, but we have lost a kind and magnificent giant in the Mac Admins community and I have lost a good friend. 

It hits all the harder in that his death is so unexpected. Charles was one of the most alive people I knew. He wrote countless books (including a couple editions of Apple Device Management with me as co-author), either ran or appeared in multiple podcasts, had a full time job, contributed multiple open source tools and despite all of that always seemed to have time to talk. My regret is that I didn’t talk to him more often, with our last conversation happening in February.

I already miss you terribly, man. Wherever you are now, I hope you know how much you are loved and missed here.

If you have good memories of Charles, please share them in the comments below.

Categories: Personal
  1. Andreas Schenk
    April 22, 2024 at 4:08 pm

    Very sad to hear.
    I had many good conversations with him, both during Mac Sysadmin in Göteborg, including some very long nights at the Dubliners and also during his time at Jamf.
    What a loss! I will miss him, his funny mind, always being kind and helping others.

  2. April 22, 2024 at 4:08 pm

    Monumental loss. He will be missed.

  3. April 22, 2024 at 4:14 pm

    Thank you for letting us know! Such a huge loss to the community but also to his family as I believe he just had a new addition to his family.

  4. gabeshack
    April 22, 2024 at 4:19 pm

    Wow thats quite a loss for the community. I never had the pleasure of chatting with him, but have read and learned a lot from the krypted posts. Im going to miss his way of simplifying descriptions of how things really work. So sad.

  5. Eric Benfer
    April 22, 2024 at 4:24 pm

    Charles was a “Bushel” of fun.

    You will be missed.

  6. Jeffrey Compton
    April 22, 2024 at 4:38 pm

    I first met Charles circa 2009 while he was still at 318. I’d like to say we “hit it off” in a special way, but truthfully – I think everyone who has ever met Charles felt the exact same way. He had a way of making you feel like you were one of the “cool kids” even if you knew you were nowhere as smart and “cool” as he was. RIP my friend. 

  7. Philippe Astier
    April 22, 2024 at 4:50 pm

    This is an unexpected massive shock. One of his books is standing all day long at a few inches from me, so apart from a few chats we had, I can read his name every day… that is a strange feeling. He was so alive, posting pictures of his latest on Facebook. Very sad. RIP.

  8. April 22, 2024 at 4:54 pm

    Enormous loss. Kind, brilliant, and absolutely hilarious. I still think back to the best lunch ever with him and the gang at MacAdmins last year, just enjoying life and talking AppleScript. RIP, you’ll be missed insanely.

  9. Kara Ousley
    April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm

    I didn’t get to meet him personally except thru Facebook and his writings. I am so sad to hear of his passing. This is a great loss to our world.

  10. Peter Thorn
    April 22, 2024 at 5:37 pm

    Such a loss!! 💔 I have just talked with him briefly at MacSysAdmin but such an extremely talented and kind person.

  11. Ryan G.
    April 22, 2024 at 5:37 pm

    This hurts. Met Charles at Ace’s conference in New Orleans some years back. Great guy, and a monumental force in the Apple world. Huge loss for the community. Thoughts are with his family.

  12. April 22, 2024 at 5:47 pm

    We had such a great time each time we met for Jamf events, or MacAD UK, Macsysadmins, talking about so many things, and also Transformers, because he liked the big robots as I do… Too sad to see him gone. Really a giant of the Apple community. He will be sorely missed.

  13. Thomas Bosboom
    April 22, 2024 at 6:00 pm

    Such a loss, truly a great human.

  14. wpresshayman
    April 22, 2024 at 6:08 pm

    This is very sad. It was always a treat seeing Charles at MacSysAdmin in Sweden. We still had so much more to learn.

  15. Jason Bracy
    April 22, 2024 at 6:12 pm

    I met Charles at MacTech conference many years ago. Always enjoyed hanging out when we happened to be at a conference together. He will be greatly missed. Prayers for his family and friends, it’s a tragic loss.

  16. ptrondsen4ecd0c0214
    April 22, 2024 at 6:30 pm

    So Sad, I loved krypted.com, it was a very helpful site, especially during the Kerberos/AD days. I know he had stopped posting for a while, but I just went to his site and he has new posts. Charles will be missed. Thanks for posting.

  17. April 22, 2024 at 7:45 pm

    So sad this news, I am shocked! I met him years ago as a customer when I started at Jamf and later when he joined Jamf. Then over shots at MacsysAdmins!

    He was such an amazing smart person and the way he talked about his children, he loved being a father.

    He was the most productive person that I have ever known! He will be missed!

  18. April 22, 2024 at 8:32 pm

    I’m truly saddened to learn of Charles Edge’s passing. His absence will be deeply felt.

    His extensive contributions, through books, presentations, and advocacy for the MacAdmin community, have undeniably left behind a remarkable legacy. I am grateful for his unwavering dedication and generosity in sharing his knowledge with the community.

  19. April 23, 2024 at 12:01 am

    He will be missed, but his memory will live on.

  20. April 23, 2024 at 12:38 am

    I had the pleasure of podcasting with Charles on a few occasions over the years, and he was always the perfect guest or the most gracious host. If Charles was on a show, you knew it would be a fun one to record.

    I’ll cherish my fond memories, and my heart breaks for his friends and family.

  21. Michael at Above Studio 1
    April 23, 2024 at 2:22 am

    Despite my chance encounter meeting Charles in an airport on the way to MacSysAdmin in Gothenberg being very brief, he touched my life deeply. It was as though he sensed I needed some encouragement, and in the space of about 7 minutes, the words he said changed the trajectory of my career. I went on to have 7 more great years running my consultancy, and that encounter gave me the courage to change hats to something better. I will never forget Charles. He burned so brightly.

  22. Gil
    April 23, 2024 at 2:42 am

    I’m sorry for your loss

  23. Samuel A. Litt
    April 23, 2024 at 4:04 am

    I recently had LinkedIn chat with him regarding a macOS technical problem. For all the time I knew him, he consistently shared his expertise and time generously. It’s a significant loss of a kind spirit. Rest in peace, Charles.

  24. April 23, 2024 at 11:46 am

    Unexpected news, indeed. I have a lot of his posts saved from krypted for Apple-related items or similar. Little hacks to help you out with things, knowledge he shared with the community. He definitely helped me in my Apple career. This news is horrible, and I hope his family knows how much he was appreciated, even for those of us who never knew him on a personal level.

  25. Ousley, Kara
    April 23, 2024 at 1:02 pm

    Are you okay, Mr. Trouton? I am sorry for your loss.

    • April 23, 2024 at 1:45 pm

      I’m not OK with Charles’ passing, but I’m OK otherwise. Thanks for asking.

      • Ousley, Kara
        April 23, 2024 at 2:35 pm

        I understand. I apologize for any intrusion.

  26. April 23, 2024 at 10:09 pm

    Charles and I took our CCA exam together in 2008, back when Jamf was located in a small upstairs office on Washington Ave in Minneapolis. I was a pleasant coincidence that we both ended up working at Jamf several years later.

    Charles was not only a great guy that liked drinking beer but was extremely knowledgeable, creative and collegial. Everyone that knew Charles liked and respected him.

    It’s a sad and shocking loss for all of us.

  27. nathanhaggard
    April 27, 2024 at 2:01 am

    I met Charles when he was at 318 and he was so easy to talk to and so smart. He was a great help especially with a VIP client of mine. Then over a decade later he remembered me and spent a long time helping me out on the phone again. I’ve never known anyone so easy going and friendly and confidence inspiring. RIP

  28. Ben LeRoy
    May 8, 2024 at 5:22 pm

    I met Charles when I was fresh out of Apple and working as a new Mac Admin at Minneapolis School District. He reached out because he saw a comment I made on a blog somewhere and wanted to meet for coffee. His kids had just started at school in our district and he wanted to peek behind the veiled curtain of how we managed our macs. He was alway generous with his time and loved a good conversation. I worked with him again when Bushel was released as a beta tester and it was fascinating to watch his technical mind work. He will be missed in this community.

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