Fedora Project Podcast

Latest Episodes:

61: Framework Laptop 12 Meets Fedora Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Framework does not have a storefront you can walk into. What they do have is a laptop you can order that arrives with Fedora already on it, and a screwdriver in the box.

Michael Tunnell is the Senior Marketing Manager for Linux Marketing at Framework, and spent years covering this ecosystem at TuxDigital before joining. Noah is back this week after missing the last episode while stuck forty feet up on a scissor lift with a dead battery.

We get into:

Why Fedora KDE, and why the answer is a boring technical one: KDE tested best for stylus and touchscreen, and Fedora moves fast enough on the kernel for brand new silicon
The 80 percent of Laptop 12 owners already running Linux, measured before any preload existed, so every one of them installed it themselves
What "officially supported" means at Framework: engineering collaboration with the distro, support for the distro, and a dedicated Linux support specialist a customer can actually reach
Real upstream fixes, including a CPU limiter and thermals bug on Wildcat Lake, audio modules, and screen rotation, all landed in Fedora and the kernel
The expansion card system, with two of the four slots on the 12 running Thunderbolt 4
ZMK open source keyboard firmware, published CAD files, and 3D printable components
What it costs a company to commit to repairability instead of planned obsolescence

There is a written companion post at https://itguyeric.com/blog/fedora-ep61-framework-laptop-12/

Special Guest: Michael Tunnell.

Links:

60: Changing of the Guard, the New Fedora Community Architect Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Fedora has a job whose entire purpose is the health of the community around the distribution, and this month a new person took it over. So we got both of them on at once.

Justin Wheeler has held the Fedora Community Architect seat since 2022 and is moving into a new role as AI Alignment Community Architect. Shaun McCance is stepping into the Fedora role while staying on as CentOS Community Architect. Noah is out this episode, so Eric hosts solo.

We get into:

Where the role came from, why Robyn Bergeron pushed for it in 2015, and how it went from community outreach and impact lead to Fedora Community Architect in January 2023
What actually lands on the desk: a Council seat, the Mindshare Committee, the Code of Conduct Committee, budget stewardship, and Flock
How Mindshare funding works for ambassadors, local organizers, and anyone who just needs a box of stickers and will write an event report
Justin's new AI Alignment role, why he wrote his own job description, and why he thinks community consent on AI has to be earned rather than assumed
This Week in Fedora, and the argument that started when a bot began ingesting messages from a public but non-indexed Matrix room
What Shaun brings from CentOS and from years as GNOME Foundation treasurer, and what he finds daunting about Fedora's breadth
Why one shared budget spreadsheet is not a merger, and what stays separate on purpose
Where to find both projects: CentOS Connect January 28 and 29 in Brussels, DevConf US September 24 and 25 in Boston, Texas Linux Fest in November, and All Things Open

There is a written companion post at https://itguyeric.com/blog/fedora-ep60-changing-of-the-guard/

Special Guests: Justin Wheeler and Shaun McCance.

Links:

59: What is CentOS? Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

A couple of episodes ago we talked to Carl George about EPEL, and half that conversation ended up being about CentOS. The questions kept coming, so we made a whole episode out of it.

This is the biggest panel the show has ever had. Amy Marrich chairs the CentOS Board and does technical marketing for OpenStack at Red Hat. Troy Dawson leads the CentOS Stream team, sits on the board, and builds CentOS Stream for RISC-V. Shaun McCance is the CentOS Community Architect, and as of two weeks ago the Fedora Community Architect as well.

We get into:

Why CentOS Linux and CentOS Stream are different projects, and why one of them retired around RHEL 9
The pipeline: Fedora, then Fedora ELN, then CentOS Stream, then RHEL, and why Btrfs is the example everyone reaches for
How Stream and RHEL now build from the same commit, on a one-week cadence versus six months
Why partners shipped on RHEL 9 launch day because they had been building against Stream 9
How the board actually works, why only one seat speaks for Red Hat, and what the SIGs and the SIG Council do
Where to file a bug (against RHEL, not at Troy)
How to contribute without writing code, and why being new makes you good at documentation

There is a written companion post at https://itguyeric.com/blog/fedora-ep59-what-is-centos/

Special Guests: Amy Marrich, Shaun McCance, and Troy Dawson.

58: Where Can You Engage with Fedora? Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Fedora is a huge project with a lot of doors in. In this episode Eric and Noah walk through the different ways to find your people in Fedora, from real time chat on Matrix to long form discussion on Fedora Discourse, reading Fedora Magazine, getting a friendly hand from the Join SIG, and catching up on project wide activity through This Week in Fedora. If you have ever wondered where to start, this one is for you.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:57 What is Matrix?
05:19 Fedora on Matrix
11:18 Matrix clients: Element and beyond
20:01 Fedora Discourse
23:14 Fedora Magazine
30:07 The Join SIG
33:22 What can I do for Fedora?
36:51 This Week in Fedora
44:56 Wrap-up

Links from this episode
Fedora Chat (Matrix): https://chat.fedoraproject.org
Fedora Discourse: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org
Fedora Magazine: https://fedoramagazine.org
Fedora Join SIG: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-join/
This Week in Fedora: https://abompard.fedorapeople.org/twif/
Fedora Community Blog: https://communityblog.fedoraproject.org
What can I do for Fedora?: https://whatcanidoforfedora.org/

New to Fedora? Get started: https://fedoraproject.org/
Follow the Fedora Podcast: https://podcast.fedoraproject.org
Join the conversation on Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast:fedoraproject.org
Become part of the Fedora community: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/join/
Connect with Eric the IT Guy: https://linktr.ee/itguyeric
Connect with Noah Chelliah: https://noahc.us/about

Fedora #Linux #Matrix #FedoraMagazine #OpenSource #FOSS #Community #GetInvolved #Podcast

Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

57: What is EPEL Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

EPEL is one of those repos a lot of us turned on without thinking twice. This episode, Noah and Eric sit down with Carl George, who leads the EPEL team at Red Hat, to explain what EPEL actually is, the golden rule that gives it its reputation, and the changes Carl is proposing for EPEL 11. If you run enterprise Linux, or you have ever typed dnf install epel-release, this one is for you.

Carl is collecting feedback on the EPEL 11 idea right now, so give it a listen and jump into the thread.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:12 Meet Carl George
04:25 What is EPEL?
07:50 EPEL's golden rule
09:32 Getting started: CRB + epel-release
10:38 Who governs EPEL
16:08 The road to EPEL 10
21:45 Minor versions and the EPEL team
24:44 The private mirror problem
34:09 Cleaning it up in EPEL 11
40:26 Getting involved & RPM packaging
50:36 Wrap-up

Links from this episode
EPEL 11 discussion thread: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/looking-back-at-epel-10-and-forward-to-epel-11/197373
EPEL branches documentation: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/epel/branches/
How to request an EPEL package: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/epel/epel-package-request/
What can I do for Fedora?: https://whatcanidoforfedora.org/
Join the Package Maintainers: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/package-maintainers/Joining_the_Package_Maintainers/
RPM packaging lab (RHDP): https://zero.rhdp.net/lab/zt-rhelbu.zt-rpmbuild.prod

Our guest: Carl George, EPEL Team Lead at Red Hat (https://fedoraproject.fireside.fm/guests/carl-george)

Fedora #EPEL #Linux #RHEL #CentOS #EnterpriseLinux #RPM #OpenSource #SysAdmin #Podcast

Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Special Guest: Carl George.

56: Fedora Contributor Recognition Winners 2026 Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

The Fedora Contributor Recognition Program just wrapped its second year, and the winners were announced live at Flock. On this episode of the Fedora Podcast, we sit down with a couple of them: Ankur Sinha and Justin Forbes, to talk about the work that earned them recognition and what keeps them showing up for Fedora year after year.

We cover Ankur's long-running stewardship of the Join SIG and his work on NeuroFedora, and Justin's work keeping the Fedora kernel reliable, secure, and up to date. Two very different corners of the project, one shared thread of contribution.

If you have ever wondered what it takes to leave a lasting mark on Fedora, this episode is full of answers.

The Fedora Podcast brings you exclusive interviews and deep dives with the innovators and contributors who make the Fedora community amazing! From cutting-edge technologies to the production of the Fedora distribution itself, we chat with the minds behind it all. Whether you're a longtime user or just curious, there's always something new to discover in the world of Fedora.

🎬 New to Fedora? Get Started Here: https://fedoraproject.org/
🎙️ Follow the Fedora Podcast: https://podcast.fedoraproject.org
💬 Join the Conversation: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast:fedoraproject.org
🌐 Become Part of the Fedora community: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/join/
📱 Connect with Eric "the IT Guy" Hendricks: https://itguyeric.com

🔗 Episode Resources
Contributor Recognition Program 2026 Wiki: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Contributor_Recognition_Program_2026
Announcement Thread: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/meet-the-2026-fedora-contributor-recognition-program-winners/194595

Chapters
00:00 Stream start
00:36 Contributor Recognitions
01:54 Introductions
07:36 Award experience
15:56 Join SIG
28:38 Kernel team
44:00 NeuroFedora
51:38 Closing thoughts
59:30 Wrap up

Special Guests: Ankur Sinha and Justin Forbes.

55: Fixing Fedora's Packaging Pipeline Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Getting a package into Fedora takes more than just writing a spec file. There's a review queue, a sponsorship bottleneck, and a contribution process that can feel opaque to newcomers. Jakub Kadlcik has spent a decade inside that pipeline as a Copr developer and maintainer, and he's been quietly building tools to fix the parts that frustrate him most. From the Fedora Review Service that automates package review CI, to a sponsor-finder that helps new contributors navigate one of open source's less-discussed gatekeeping challenges, Jakub is reshaping how packaging works in Fedora. He'll also share what he thinks needs to change when src.fedoraproject.org moves to Forgejo, and why his live coding YouTube channel is pulling in way more viewers than he expected.

🔗 Episode Resources

Copr: https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/
Fedora Review Service: https://github.com/FrostyX/fedora-review-service
Fedora Packager Sponsors: https://packager-sponsors.fedoraproject.org/
FrostyX Unscripted (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@frostyx-unscripted/videos
Fedora Package Sources (Forgejo migration): https://src.fedoraproject.org/
Jakub's Contributor Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3e3W00KqVI

🔖 Chapters
00:00 Stream start
01:13 Meet Jakub
05:13 What is Copr
11:40 Package review bottleneck
22:23 Finding a sponsor
29:25 Per-commit package checks
35:10 Naming things is hard!
37:57 Forgejo Migration
44:04 FrostyX Unscripted
48:38 Outro

Special Guest: Jakub Kadlcik.

54: BootC in the Wild Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

What does bootc look like when it's actually running in production, not just in a lab? James Harmison joins the Fedora Podcast to talk about building custom bootc images across wildly different contexts: NVIDIA drivers, AGX Orin hardware with custom kernel RPMs, replacing RHCOS images in OpenShift, and even a stripped-down SteamOS-style couch gaming rig. We also get into his contributions to the Chunkah project and the real-world UX conversations shaping where bootc goes next.

The Fedora Podcast brings you exclusive interviews and deep dives with the innovators and contributors who make the Fedora community amazing! From cutting-edge technologies to the production of the Fedora distribution itself, we chat with the minds behind it all. Whether you're a longtime user or just curious, there’s always something new to discover in the world of Fedora.

🔗 Episode Resources
Project Website: https://bootc.dev
Bootc upstream: https://github.com/containers/bootc
Fedora bootc docs: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/bootc
Bootc Matrix room: https://matrix.to/#/#bootc:fedoraproject.org

🔖 Chapters
00:00 Stream start
01:41 Introduction
05:27 What is bootc?
12:21 James' operations
20:40 Use cases
28:00 Chunkah
33:04 Getting involved

Special Guest: James Harmison.

53: Introduction to Fedora Flock Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

Flock to Fedora is coming! On this episode of the Fedora Podcast, hosts Eric and Noah sit down with Justin and a special guest to give you everything you need to know about the Fedora Project's annual contributor conference. Flock 2026 is headed to Prague, Czech Republic, June 14-16, and whether you are a seasoned contributor or thinking about getting involved for the first time, this is the episode to watch before you pack your bags.

We cover what Flock actually is and who it is for, how the conference is structured across its three-day run, what kinds of sessions and activities to expect, and how to register, submit a talk proposal, or apply for financial aid. We also dig into why Flock matters beyond the schedule itself — the in-person connections, cross-team collaborations, and community energy that keep contributors going the rest of the year.

If you have ever wondered what happens when the Fedora community gets together in one room, this is your invitation to find out.

The Fedora Podcast brings you exclusive interviews and deep dives with the innovators and contributors who make the Fedora community amazing! From cutting-edge technologies to the production of the Fedora distribution itself, we chat with the minds behind it all. Whether you're a longtime user or just curious, there’s always something new to discover in the world of Fedora.

🔗 Episode Resources
Flock 2026 Info: https://fedoraproject.org/flock/2026
Venue — OREA Hotel Andel's, Prague: https://www.orea.cz/en/hotel-andels
Register to Attend (free): https://rsvp.fedoraproject.org/community/flock-2026/
Financial Aid Application: https://forms.gle/yyZnCZ991DAqJpNE7

Flock Matrix Room: https://matrix.to/#/#flock:fedoraproject.org
Flock Announce Matrix Room: https://matrix.to/#/#flock-announce:fedoraproject.org

Planning Meeting Recording: https://youtu.be/JajOr1GQ9gk
Voting Poll: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/your-vote-counts-flock-2026-branding-inspiration-poll/172427
Research and Sketches: https://forge.fedoraproject.org/design/tickets/issues/7

🔖 Chapters
00:00 Stream start
01:08 Introductions
04:41 What is Flock to Fedora
11:53 Back to Prague
22:28 Regional and Virtual Events
31:34 Design Inspiration
40:32 Schedule Overview
46:31 Wrapping Up
49:03 Closing

Special Guests: Emma Kidney and Justin Wheeler.

52: Fedora Project Leader Transition Interview Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

The Fedora Podcast features interviews and talks with the people who make the Fedora community awesome! These folks work on new technologies found in Fedora, produce the distro itself, or help put Fedora into the hands of users. There is so much going on in Fedora that it takes a whole podcast series!

🖥️ Get Started with Fedora Linux: https://fedoraproject.org

📢 Follow the Fedora Podcast: https://podcast.fedoraproject.org

🗣️ Chat With Us in the Fedora Podcast room: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast:fedoraproject.org

🫂 Become a Part of the Fedora Community: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...

📱 Connect with Us:
Noel Miller: https://noelmiller.dev
Noah Chelliah: https://asknoahshow.com

🔗 Additional Resources

🔖 Chapters:

00:00 Preshow
01:33 Interview with Matthew Miller
08:22 Interview with Jeff Spaleta

Special Guests: Jef Spaleta and Matthew Miller.

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