Three careers and motherhood are just the start

Season 1 Trailer: On The ReadME Podcast, we take a look behind the scenes of the most impactful open source projects and the developers who make them happen. Our guests are coding in public, creating firmware, designing hardware, researching security vulnerabilities, creating art and music, and making phenomenal scientific discoveries. They’re also working on the periphery of open source, taking time to consider how we think about technology. In sharing these stories, we hope to provide a spotlight on what you don’t always see in the lines of code, and what it takes to build the technology that inspires us all. by The ReadME Podcast

2 min listen

From comics in Virginia to React Core at Facebook: Rachel Nabors grew up in rural Virginia and knew that if they could just get a laptop and the internet, they could bring the world to them. Currently balancing documentation, demos, and community engagement on Facebook’s React Core team, it’s safe to say Rachel was right. An illustrator, developer, author, speaker, and teacher, Rachel shares how they discovered programming via Sailor Moon, what open source and the React Core team means to them, and what’s next, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

40 min listen

How one idea grew into a popular Javascript ecosystem: Evan You came to the U.S. from China when he was 18, and ended up at Parsons for a Master’s of Fine Arts in design and coding. He landed his dream job at Google Creative Lab, where he would become drawn to his side project, which would become what we now know as Vue. The core library has since evolved into an entire ecosystem and progressive framework that anyone can incrementally adopt. It’s seen organic and exponential growth, and in 2020, its users doubled. Hear from Evan what sparked the idea for Vue, how he turned his passion into the Vue ecosystem, and what advice he has for maintainers, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

33 min listen

Humanizing bots and building community: When Mariatta Wijaya arrived in Canada from Indonesia, she got a job as a software developer, and the first language she learned was Python. Now a Python core developer, she creates GitHub bots that are not just functional, but friendly. She’s also the co-organizer of Vancouver PyLadies and the PyCascades conference, was nominated twice for the Google Open Source Peer Bonus Program, and has received the Python Software Foundation (PSF) community service award. Hear how it all unfolded on Mariatta’s episode, available now. by The ReadME Podcast

32 min listen

Taking Das Blog into the future: In this episode, we sit down with Scott Hanselman and Mark Downie, maintainers of Das Blog. Developed in the C# programming language, Das Blog is a robust blogging application that supports languages across the globe and doesn’t require a database. Scott and Mark share how they met, and how they’re ushering 20 years of code into the future. We’ll dig into their partnership, the responsibility of taking over heritage code, and the value of blogging. Hear it all, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

50 min listen

Creating space and opportunity with She Code Africa: Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Ada Nduka Oyom initially studied microbiology at university, but quickly fell in love with programming. Witnessing the huge disparity of women to men in technology, she started She Code Africa so women could learn to code and be properly recognized for their work. In this episode, Ada shares her inspiration for She Code Africa, what she’s learned during her journey to becoming a global thought leader, and what she hopes to pass on to the next generation of female developers, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

31 min listen

cURL: 25 years and 200 releases later: Almost 25 years ago, in 1997, Daniel Stenburg created cURL, a command line tool for transferring data. The name stands for “client URL,” works on any platform, and is used in billions of installations. Despite maintaining cURL for a quarter of a century, Daniel couldn’t be happier where he is, and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. We recently sat down with him to hear how he first discovered open source, why he wants to lower the barrier of entry for newcomers, and how he sees cURL evolving in the future, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

44 min listen

From a 3D side project to the dream job: When she was young, Gina Häußge’s dad showed her how to make her first computer commands, and she was hooked on watching code come to life. Fast forward to 2012, when she got her first 3D printer, which she loved. What she didn’t love were the noises and fumes it spat out during prints. So she put it in the spare bathroom, built a monitor that she could control from her office, and open sourced it on GitHub. Octoprint exploded in popularity, and Gina quickly learned there was much more to being a maintainer than writing code. Hear how she figured it all out, and what she’s doing now, on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

38 min listen

From a master's thesis to global go-to by The ReadME Podcast

26 min listen

Keeping the lights on with Home Assistant: Originally from the Netherlands and now based in California, Paulus Schoutsen has always been fascinated by data, and how it could be used to optimize people’s lives. Seven years ago, he open sourced a simple way to remotely turn his house lights on at sunset. Today, Home Assistant has grown to an entire home automation framework with a worldwide community. Hear Paulus share his path to programming, including his early experiments and a deep-rooted love for open source, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

37 min listen

Hosts in the hot seat: For the final ReadME Podcast episode of Season 2 our hosts Brian and Neha turn the spotlight around and interview each other. The conversation covers everything from Nintendos at Christmas and university computer hand-me-downs to Encarta, Ask Jeeves, and Netscape. They also dive down the rabbit hole of their tech journeys—starting from the beginning. Learn how they got into open source and who gave them the nudges they needed to really find their stride. They also share their approaches to imposter syndrome, what keyboard shortcuts they love, and whether they prefer coffee or tea. There’s a little serendipity, a lot of OSS love, and a few surprises along the way. Check out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readmeign-up And sign-up for our monthly newsletter: https://github.com/readme/#newsletter by The ReadME Podcast

43 min listen

Giving 110% in the right place at the right time: Fred Schott’s love for programming started early, and he worked hard during his 20s at companies like Box and Google. As his own side projects experienced open source success, Fred took the plunge in 2021 and started Astro, a JavaScript-based static site builder full time. In this conversation, he speaks about his introduction to open source, his path to Astro, and the role luck plays in success. Fred on GitHub: https://github.com/fredkschott Astro on the web: https://astro.build/blog/introducing-astro/ Be sure to check-out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readme by The ReadME Podcast

48 min listen

Quitting a steady job to chase intuition: In this episode, we talk with Henry Zhu, full-time maintainer of Babel, the Javascript compiler. We’ll discover how Henry first got into programming, and what convinced him to leave a stable job at Adobe to take the leap into open source. Henry digs into the challenges and rewards of building a community, and how he finds balance. Hear it all straight from Henry, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

33 min listen

Changing the hardware development game at Adafruit by The ReadME Podcast

31 min listen

Where utility meets beauty: Hoppscotch: Liyas Thomas is the founder of Hoppscotch, an open source API development ecosystem that’s seen exponential growth. Encouraged by his own mentors, Liyas now maintains Hoppscotch full time. Whether he’s programming or pursuing his passion for art, he always puts beauty at the core of his work. During this conversation, he shares his path to Hoppscotch, the importance of community, and a preview of his newest endeavor: a book. Liyas on GitHub: https://github.com/liyasthomas Liyas' website: https://liyasthomas.com/ Be sure to check-out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readme by The ReadME Podcast

35 min listen

A master in both piano and WordPress: While earning her Master’s degree in Piano, Helen Hou-Sandí worked in the computer lab, where her skills caught the attention of her music conservatory. Implored to make a website, she discovered the instant gratification of WordPress and was hooked. A decade later, she’s a leading WordPress developer who’s passionate about open source. Helen shares her journey from pianist to programmer, how the disciplines inform each other, and the ways in which she hopes to make WordPress relevant to a new generation of developers. Helen's blog: https://helen.blog/ Helen on GitHub: https://github.com/helen Be sure to check out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readme by The ReadME Podcast

42 min listen

Python enthusiast, Twitch streamer, et. al.: Anthony Sottile started college as a biochemistry major, but pivoted to programming two years in. After his first coding class, the school was so impressed they invited Anthony to teach the following semester. He loved helping others realize the potential of programming, which eventually led him to Twitch, where he codes, shares stories, and builds community in real time. Hear more about his journey, and why he thinks better communication is essential for open source. Anthony on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/codewithanthony Anthony on GitHub: https://github.com/asottile Be sure to check out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readme by The ReadME Podcast

34 min listen

Prioritizing empathy and taking risks to build Chakra UI: Segun Adebayo’s approach to computers and technology is driven by a belief that how we communicate is just as important as what we communicate. With this in mind, he created Chakra UI, a modular and accessible React library that has a quarter million downloads a month. Originally from Nigeria and now based in Dubai, Segun sat down with us to share his open source origin story, his passion for design, and what the future holds for both himself and Chakra UI, now on The ReadME Podcast. by The ReadME Podcast

38 min listen

Three careers and motherhood are just the start: Salma Alam-Naylor, aka White Panther, discovered programming at a young age but focused on music and comedy into her twenties. Though her path to developing wasn’t obvious or linear, she wouldn’t change it for anything. Today, she’s a positive force in open source, making an impact on Twitch, Discord, and via her vocal commitment to accessibility and inclusivity in tech. In our conversation, she shares her journey to open source, where music and code meet, and how becoming a parent changed her perspective on the future of work. Salma on GitHub: https://github.com/whitep4nth3r Salma on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/whitep4nth3r Salma on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/theclaw Be sure to check-out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features https://github.com/readme, and sign-up for our monthly newsletter: https://github.com/readme/#newsletter by The ReadME Podcast

53 min listen

Season 2 Trailer: Season 2 of The ReadME Podcast is on the way with our hosts Brian Douglas and Neha Batra! New episodes will be dropping every Tuesday starting October 26th... by The ReadME Podcast

1 min listen

FreeCodeCamp: For curious people, by curious people by The ReadME Podcast

33 min listen

Keeping creativity alive while managing workloads: Jani Eväkallio discovered programming when he was stuck inside with a broken leg as a teenager. He fell in and out of programming afterwards and took an OSS hiatus at 16. He has since dove back in and maintained countless projects over the years—but quickly recognized his own limitations and didn’t hesitate to hand over the reins to those looking for the responsibility. Jani discusses his relationship with open source, why he turned down millions of dollars for FOAM, and where he’s currently channeling his creativity. Jani on GitHub: https://github.com/jevakallio Jani on the web: https://jevakallio.dev/ Be sure to check-out The ReadME Project for more episodes, stories and features: https://github.com/readme and sign-up for our monthly newsletter: https://github.com/readme/#newsletter by The ReadME Podcast

34 min listen

Let the games begin: This time around, it's all about gaming. Neha and Martin chat with Dr. Johanna Pirker, lead of Game Lab Graz, about how the virtual worlds can positively impact mental health, personal connection, and increase access to science and learning—if we work together. We also check in with Klint Finley about the open source community's role in democratizing game development. by The ReadME Podcast

36 min listen

Trailer: The ReadME Podcast, where culture meets craft in open source development. by The ReadME Podcast

2 min listen

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication: On this episode of The ReadME Podcast, Neha and Martin dig in with senior editor Mike Melanson on how to Marie Kondo your software stack. We also hear from Byte Board’s Frances Coronel on the art of finding your open source mentor. Plus: bashbunni is in the house discussing developer relations, approaching content with a servant leadership mentality, and the power of Ping Pong. by The ReadME Podcast

36 min listen

Cue the command line: On this episode, Neha and Martin discuss the 1952 presidential election, hear from senior editor Klint Finley about the future of the command line, and ask Appsmith co-founder and CTO Arpit Mohan about the myth of the lone hacker. Plus, we’ll answer a listener’s question about how to create leadership positions in open source. by The ReadME Podcast

42 min listen

Bridging code and community: The influence of open source extends well beyond code. In this episode, we dive into the less-explored areas of the open source community, spotlighting their profound and wide-ranging impact. With host Neha Batra away for travel, Martin Woodward welcomes Kyler Middleton to discuss navigating the open source community in a highly regulated environment. She highlights the dual challenges of aligning cultural norms and overcoming technical barriers. Also, The ReadME Project’s Klint Finley is back to discuss the underappreciated importance of non-code contributions to open source projects. He emphasizes how roles such as marketers, graphic designers, technical writers, and community managers can be vital for the success of a project. Lastly, we feature a clip from our bonus episode with Kelsey Hightower highlighting the complexity of scaling a project like Kubernetes, which extends beyond technical challenges to include legal, financial, and community-related a by The ReadME Podcast

41 min listen

Build your own luck: The ReadME Podcast is back with the stories, insights and advice you need to contribute to—and thrive—in the open source community. Neha Batra and new co-host, Martin Woodward, chat with our very own Klint Finley about the functional programming renaissance, bring former host Brian Douglas back to answer some of your burning OSS questions, and discuss the value of taking risks and publishing your work with Aaron Francis. by The ReadME Podcast

37 min listen

Code like it’s 1995: On this episode, hosts Neha and Martin welcome The ReadME Project's Senior Editor Mike Melanson to discuss whether Java is dead or experiencing a revival. We’ll also answer a listener question about securing your OSS project and chat with GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke on everything from developer happiness to GitHub Universe and his latest LEGO project. by The ReadME Podcast

46 min listen

Innovation without barriers: In this special edition of The ReadME Podcast, the hosts welcome a panel of developers and educators to discuss building accessible technology, the impact of inclusion on innovation, and how the developer community can get involved in building better technology for everyone. by The ReadME Podcast

36 min listen

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Three careers and motherhood are just the start

Three careers and motherhood are just the start

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