Welcome to The Change Mode Podcast. The place where we get to shine a light on the unsung heroes of code and the people behind open source. Exploring the power of open-source community building and education through insightful conversations with a plethora of fascinating guests from the global developer community.
Join us as we delve into the stories, experiences, and lessons of key open-source community members and find out what we can learn from their unique development journeys. Each episode features engaging, laid-back interviews with guests from a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds as we ask the questions, we’re itching to know ourselves, and hope you are too.
From developers to enthusiasts, Change Mode is a podcast made by the community, for the community.
Though our discussions are centered on developer community initiatives, it's not just for those in the know. Our conversations are accessible to all, offering valuable insights and perspectives for anyone passionate about the tech community and collaboration. Tune in, and let’s build bridges together. The Change Mode podcast is lovingly prodded and packaged by the DevRellers at Upsun, a single, self-service Platform-as-a-Service, powered by Platform.sh.
Looking to try out a PaaS? Try Upsun with a free 5-day trial. (https://bit.ly/changemodetoupsun)
chmod x dotJS 101: Making your own luck with Jessica Sachs
dotJS (https://www.dotjs.io/)conference special, episode 1: In this episode of the Change Mode podcast, dotJS speaker, Jessica Sachs (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-sh/) shares her unconventional journey from starting in manual QA at 16 to becoming a key figure in the open source community. She discusses her transition to programming, her pivotal role in maintaining Vue Test Utils, and her current work at HeroDevs. Offering insights on "making your own luck," the importance of community involvement, and her views on testing, advocating for a flexible, problem-solving approach.
Learn more about Jessica and her current projects on github (https://github.com/JessicaSachs) or follow her on x (https://x.com/_jessicasachs).
Do you have an open-source story of your own that you want to share? Join us for an episode of Change Mode, apply now to be a guest (https://forms.gle/56X2fMxdEJbDRXZD6).
Shoutout to our incredible podcast host, Marine Gandy (https://twitter.com/mupsigraphy), our resident Drupal expert and DevRel Engineer at Platform.sh. There’ll be plenty more from Marine coming soon, stay tuned!
Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to get the latest updates on upcoming episodes.
16 Sept 2024
chmod 106: Code, Community, and DDEV: Randy Fay's Journey
Summer Special. In Episode 6 of The Change Mode Podcast, host Chad Carlson (https://github.com/chadwcarlson) sits down with Randy Fay (https://github.com/rfay), the lead maintainer of DDEV, to dive into the world of development environments, TRS-80 nostalgia, and the evolution of open-source communities. Randy takes us on a journey from his early days in programming to his pivotal role in creating DDEV—a tool that’s changing the game for web developers using Docker. With a dash of humor, Randy breaks down how DDEV offers a consistent, isolated workspace across operating systems and why this is a game-changer for devs juggling multiple projects.
Whether you're a seasoned dev or just tech-curious, Randy’s insights on community-driven development and DDEV’s roadmap for 2024 will keep you hooked. Plus, he shares the importance of financial support from sponsors like Platform.sh, which helps the project thrive. Don't miss out on learning how DDEV is empowering developers worldwide and what exciting new features are coming soon—trust us, it’s a conversation you won’t want to miss.
02:30 - Randy's early interest in programming, starting with a TRS-80 Model 1
04:15 - Transition from teaching to programming, starting with documentation
06:45 - Early work on home automation and mobile data (CDPD) projects
09:30 - Introduction to PHP development and the Drupal community
11:45 - Explanation of DDEV and its purpose in web development
14:30 - Origins of DDEV from the “Drud” company
17:00 - Impact of Docker on local development environments
19:15 - Discussion of DDEV being written in Go and its advantages
22:30 - Focus on contributor training and growing the DDEV community
24:45 - Financial support for DDEV, including sponsorship from Platform.sh
27:30 - Introduction of Stas Zhuk as a paid maintainer
29:15 - DDEV's plans for 2024, including improved add-on ecosystem
32:45 - Impact of add-ons on community involvement
35:00 - Randy's interests outside of software (mountain biking)
36:15 - Thoughts on documentation and effective communication
38:30 - Randy's greatest strength: supporting and helping others
40:00 - Projects Randy is most proud of, including DDEV and CDPD work
Thank you to Randy for taking us on his journey, but it doesn’t end there! Check out the links below to learn more about Pol’s ongoing projects and stay in the loop with his work and in the DDEV loop.
DDEV (https://ddev.com/)
GitHub (https://github.com/rfay)
Do you have an open-source story of your own that you want to share? Join us for an episode of Change Mode, apply now to be a guest (https://forms.gle/56X2fMxdEJbDRXZD6).
Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to get the latest updates on upcoming episodes.
17 Jul 2024
chmod 105: Just in the Nix of time with Pol Dellaiera
Embark in an unconventional open source journey with Pol Dellaiera (https://www.linkedin.com/in/poldellaiera) in episode 5 of the chmodcast. It all starts with saving every euro to buy his first computer as a kid… Then it goes to Drupal, Symfony, and now Nix, where Pol’s contributions as a maintainer with commits rights make the lives of PHP developers easier than ever. Package manager, operating system and even functional language: Nix does it all. Let’s dive in!
00:20 — Episode introduction
01:45 — SymfonyCon Brussels
03:00 — Introducing Pol Dellaiera
05:03 — A love for computers that leads to a career in IT
08:31 — Open source journey, from Drupal 5 to Symfony to Nix
18:31 — Installing NixOS and saving configuration files
21:45 — Maintaining and adding packages to Nix
24:20 — Nix language
26:36 — Example of a contribution to Nix
30:33 — How many people work on Nix?
32:43 — How to use and contribute to Nix?
34:40 — What’s in the future for Nix? (Flakes!)
37:33 — Silly questions time!
41:10 — Next episode teaser
Thank you to Pol for taking us on his journey, but it doesn’t end there! He just published his master’s thesis about “Reproducibility in Software Engineering”, 20+ years after completing his bachelor’s degree! Check out the links below to learn more about Pol’s ongoing projects and stay in the loop with his work.
Mastodon (https://mathstodon.xyz/@Pol%20)
GitHub (https://github.com/drupol%C2%A0)
Blog (https://not-a-number.io)
Master’s thesis “Reproducibility in Software Engineering” (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12666899)
Nix & NixOS (https://nixos.org/)
Do you have an open-source story of your own that you want to share? Join us for an episode of Change Mode, apply now to be a guest (https://forms.gle/56X2fMxdEJbDRXZD6).
Shoutout to our incredible podcast host, Marine Gandy (https://twitter.com/mupsigraphy), our resident Drupal expert and DevRel Engineer at Platform.sh. There’ll be plenty more from Marine coming soon, stay tuned!
Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to get the latest updates on upcoming episodes.
26 Jun 2024
chmod 104: The floor is Lava(Moat) with Zbyszek Tenerowicz
xxx
10 Jun 2024
chmod 103: Community is built through happy accidents
Join DjangoGirls (https://djangogirls.org/en/) board members, Aisha Bello (https://twitter.com/aishaxbello?lang=en) and Leona So (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lwyso/), for this week’s episode of Change Mode as we celebrate 10 years of this incredible non-profit.
Created to inspire women from all backgrounds to get interested in technology and enter the world of programming, Aisha and Leona share their journeys into open source and their roles in DjangoGirls today. Dive into how they built their own Python communities, ran their own local events, and the importance of creating safe, welcoming spaces for women in tech.
00:30 — Share your open-source love story
01:05 — Celebrating 10 years of DjangoGirls
03:13 — Introducing our guests, Aisha Bello and Leona So
04:30 — Leona’s journey into open source: from maths teacher to DjangoGirls
07:47 — Aisha’s open-source story: building a Python community in Nigeria
13:39 — The creation of DjangoGirls Manchester and Chester
16:39 — Never underestimate the power of the open-source community
18:26 — Do we need in-person events to truly build a strong community?
23:25 — The DjangoGirls podcast: a long-distance relationship
28:24 — How to balance work, life, and open source
34:47 — What’s next for DjangoGirls?
37:44 — The importance of belonging for women in tech
42:00 — If you had permission to do anything for a day, what would you do?
46:22 — If you could invent a new permission, what would it be?
48:17 — What do you think is your greatest power?
Thank you to our incredible guests, Aisha and Leona, for joining us for this episode to discuss their journeys as women in tech and development. Follow Aisha and Leona’s incredible work with DjangoGirls (https://djangogirls.org/en/) on X (https://twitter.com/djangogirls?lang=en) and GitHub (https://github.com/djangogirls).
Do you have an open-source story of your own that you want to share? Join us for an episode of Change Mode, apply now to be a guest (https://forms.gle/56X2fMxdEJbDRXZD6).
Shoutout to our incredible podcast host, Marine Gandy (https://twitter.com/mupsigraphy), our resident Drupal expert and DevRel Engineer at Platform.sh. There’ll be plenty more from Marine coming soon, stay tuned!
Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to get the latest updates on upcoming episodes.
7 Jun 2024
chmod 102: COUNT your blessings (and check your indexes)
Episode 2 of Change Mode! Sit down with us as we chat with Lætitia Avrot (https://twitter.com/l_avrot?lang=en), Practice Leader, Postgres and Security at EBD (https://www.enterprisedb.com/), Postgres Europe Treasurer (https://www.postgresql.eu/), and founder of Postgres Women (https://twitter.com/PostgresWomen). Lætitia shares her journey in building such an impressive resume, her thoughts on why developers need to get better with databases, and provides insider insights on the Postgres community—including SQL norms, how to submit your feature, and when to expect the next update.
01:42 — What does Change Mode mean?
04:02 — Meet Lætitia Avrot, our PostgresSQL insider
05:05 — What does a Field CTO do?
06:06 — Database Admin, the role you don’t want to need
07:12 — Lætitia’s journey into Postgres
09:59 — “Postgres is to other databases, what Linux is to operating systems”
10:34 — Developers need to know how to write SQL
11:56 — Diving into SQL standards
15:59 — Can anyone join the SQL committee?
18:00 — Governance and changes, how Postgres is a truly open-source project
22:02 — The best way to take part is to join Commitfest
24:12 — The Postgres release cycle: no governance, no deadline
26:29 — Postgres Women and the importance of women on stage
29:15 — Cross-community open-source contributions
30:33 — The secret to maintaining attention when presenting
32:31 — New year, new job title
35:05 — Speaking at 30 events a year and the best jetlag hack
39:34 — How Lætitia contributes to other communities
41:49 — If you had permission to do anything for a day, what would you do?
42:39 — If you could invent a new permission, what would it be?
43:24 — What do you think is your greatest power?
Thank you to the wonderful Lætitia for joining us for this episode and sharing her open-source story, you can stay up-to-date on her work on LinkedIn (https://fr.linkedin.com/in/l%C3%A6titia-avrot) and X (https://twitter.com/l_avrot?lang=en).
Do you have an open-source story of your own that you want to share? Join us for an episode of Change Mode, apply now to be a guest. (https://forms.gle/56X2fMxdEJbDRXZD6)
Shoutout to our incredible podcast host this episode, Marine Gandy (https://twitter.com/mupsigraphy), our resident Drupal expert and DevRel Engineer at Platform.sh. There’ll be plenty more from Marine coming soon, stay tuned!
Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to get the latest updates on upcoming episodes.
24 Apr 2024
chmod 101: WTFM : Write that funky manual with Ryan Weaver
WTFM : Write that funky manual with Ryan Weaver
Our first-ever episode of the Change Mode podcast is kicking things off nicely with a wonderful guest from the Symfony (https://twitter.com/symfony) core team, Ryan Weaver. The Symfony docs lead and SymfonyCasts writer keeping us all in check when it comes to Symfony development. Join us for this episode as Ryan shares how to get started in open source, his methods for creating and managing great documentation and screencasts (including those dreaded translations), and how to balance open source and family life.
Donate to Ryan’s GoFoundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ryans-brain-cancer-battle) to support him in his battle with cancer.
0:22 — Intro: The Change Mode podcast powered by Upsun
4:29 — Meet Ryan Weaver: Symfony docs lead and SymfonyCasts extraordinaire
6:18 — The world of PHP and Symfony docs from a core team member
7:57 — It all started with Symfony 2: how to get into open source
9:41 — When does open source become open source?
12:19 — From young, bad developer to Symfony docs lead: getting into Symfony
16:08 — The quest to solve developers' problems and bad UX with docs
20:09 — Can’t we just open a ticket? The smallest entry point to open source
21:16 — Monetizing open source
25:17 — How to get paid to do open source
25:38 — Balancing open source, coding, and family life
32:24 — The Symfony ecosystem: Drupalisms, Ruby on Rails, and new JavaScript
36:32 — Can you contribute to SymfonyCasts?
37:54 — How to decide what goes in docs and what goes in screencasts
40:04 — How to maintain doc translations? Are we bound to English forever?
43:51 — The most important lesson in knowledge sharing
45:47 — What’s your dream day?
47:18 — Traveling at the speed of light with a dream invention
48:31 — What’s your greatest power?
A huge thank you to Ryan for joining us for the first episode of the Change Mode Podcast. It was a pleasure to chat with him about his open-source experience and what led him from a self-described bad developer to teaching thousands of developers the ins and outs of Symfony on SymfonyCasts.
Follow Ryan on his social channels linked below and if you can, please donate to Ryan’s GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ryans-brain-cancer-battle) in support of his ongoing battle with Glioblastoma.
GitHub (https://github.com/weaverryan)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/weaverryan/)
X (https://twitter.com/weaverryan?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) (Twitter)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDLukb_2ZdwGqBZ387HPHw) (SymfonyCasts)
Shoutout to our incredible podcast host this episode, Marine Gandy (https://twitter.com/mupsigraphy), our resident Drupal expert and DevRel Engineer at Platform.sh (http://Platform.sh). There’ll be plenty more from Marine coming soon, stay tuned!
Follow us (https://upsun.com/) on X (https://twitter.com/upsuncom) to stay up to speed on the latest episodes.
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