Compiler

Latest Episodes:

Return To The Root May 21, 2026

Show notes

What does it really take to build, maintain, and secure the invisible backbone of modern technology? In this season of Compiler, we are breaking down the reality of IT infrastructure, and examine how AI is changing the game. Host Emily Bock is joined by Jennifer Scalf as she explores the critical elements of the stack, with some help from expert voices from across the industry. Whether someone is setting up an environment for the first time, or trying to understand how the pieces fit together, simplifying today’s complexity is vital for managing the environments of tomorrow. The new season premieres June 4.

Data Security And AI Feb 05, 2026

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The relationship between data and AI is...complicated. AI is built on data. It often needs more. A wealth of data can make AI strong. But it can also be a weakness. Clarence Clayton, Director of Global Privacy + AI Risk and Compliance at Red Hat, helps us understand the increasingly complex interplay between data and AI—because the flow of information isn't a one-way street.

The Truth About Netcode Jun 13, 2024

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Online multiplayer games are a staple of modern entertainment. But internet connectivity is an unpredictable factor in the experience. That’s why netcode exists. But what is it? And how does it really affect players?

Rolling With The Punches Apr 04, 2024

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Career paths are full of unexpected challenges. In the last installment of our career series, we hear how a little empathy and authenticity helped two budding IT professionals stay the course and find their calling.

APIs And The Modernization Dilemma Oct 26, 2023

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Governments, companies, and organizations around the world are coming together to make healthcare IT infrastructure faster and more intuitive, matching the pace of modern living.
APIs are a large part of those efforts. But their use in IT modernization can present both unique challenges and unanswered questions. Sometimes, the challenge isn’t the tech itself—it’s the people who build, manage, and use it.

Ossified Operating Systems Oct 12, 2023

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Operating systems are everywhere. They’re likely also all over the place. There are unsupported operating systems running everything from old machinery to everyday devices. And because of the foundational role they play, any change can have cascading effects on the rest of their systems.

How do you handle legacy operating systems? What do you need to be aware of? And how different are operating systems from each other?

Testing, PDFs, And Donkeys Oct 27, 2022

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We reach our penultimate episode for Stack/Unstuck, and arrive on the topic of testing. Testing isn’t necessarily part of any technology stack, but it is a vital part of building software. Sometimes, it can feel like testing is an afterthought, or just a box for busy coders to tick once completed.
We hear from our guests about how testing doesn’t need to be saved for a curtain call. It can have a starring role when identifying problems within different components of a software stack. And as we include it more in discussions and planning, and as we start thinking about it earlier in development cycles, testing can further an application’s potential, and help teams build software better.

How Should We Handle Failure? Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

In tech, there's a lot of pressure to keep things running smoothly. That makes even a small mistake or a brief outage seem disastrous. When people fail at something, they can experience many different emotions: Anger, regret, or even fear. In this episode of Compiler, Jen Krieger and 2019 TED Fellow Dr. Erika Hamden join us to discuss how we should handle failure, and how teams and individuals can benefit from processing it safely and effectively.

Compiler is all about asking questions. And we've got some for you—our audience. Help us compile your thoughts about the show by filling out our survey at compilerpodcast.com/survey.

What's The Recipe For Burnout? Dec 09, 2021

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Working on a popular open source project can be demanding. Just ask the maintainers on GitHub’s ReadME podcast. In a special episode of Compiler, we teamed up with ReadME’s Brian Douglas to learn more about the challenges open source maintainers face—and investigate why burnout seems to be so prevalent in the industry.

Burnout’s always going to be a problem. But we can still try to avoid it. To do so, we wanted to understand the recipe for burnout: what factors could we identify that seem to bring it about? This episode’s guests share their own experiences and bring the weight of academic research to uncover the reasons too many of our beloved maintainers burn out.

Why Should You Write Technical Documentation? Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

We’ve all encountered technical documentation: Readmes, product manuals, and how-to guides, to name a few. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are less than helpful. Open source communities often need more people to write and update their projects’ documentation—but it’s not an easy task. So why not help out?
In this episode of Compiler, we find out why everyone should write at least a little bit of technical documentation. We speak to people who contributed to documentation to help, to learn, and even to start their careers in open source.

If you want to get involved with Fedora—technical writing included—check out whatcanidoforfedora.org.

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