Linux Inlaws

This show is host to two clouds, Nextcloud and OpenCloud. A little bit of history: Both clouds go back to some common origin called ownCloud, a FLOSS project devised around sixteen years ago with the aim to allow each and every user of the software to have their own file hosting and synchronisation platform. ownCloud was forked to become NextCloud around 2016 and OpenCloud came into existence in 2...

In this episode Martin and Chris tackle the important subject of digital sovereignty. Something becoming more and more important if you don't want to wake up one morning just to see all of your mails and mailboxes vanished just because some foreign provider decided to cut off your mail server access (same goes for file cloud storage, office software, etc. Many other use cases do apply). But how to...

This episode is host to an eclectic panel representing a German project called Freifunk, essentially a free-for-all mesh network providing Internet access to the general public. Originally developed as a local shortcut to a fast Internet hookup in Berlin, this project has become hugely successful in metropolitan areas around Germany and beyond. So if you have ever wondered about these access point...

Ever wondered what Google really knows about you (this applies to other big tech companies as well) and how to prevent this unsolicited gathering of information (to avoid the nasty term "spying"), this is the episode you want to listen to. And of course the rest of the back catalog of shows you carefully managed to avoid so far as you were of the opinion that other drugs are better suited to put y...

The focus of this episode is a little unknown project by the name of Kodi, formerly known as XBMC. Powering approximately 75% of the world's hotel set-top boxes alone (wild guess :-), this codebase has come a long way since its inception more than 20 years ago. Chris and Martin have a panel of coredevs at the ready, ready to spill the beans and much more. Subjects range from esoteric programming l...

History is the subject of this episode. So if you ever wondered what happened roughly 13 billion years ago (give or take a few), this episode is for you. Almost. As post-production advised us (to avoid the nasty term "try on your new shoes made from concrete in the middle of the ocean), we had to narrow this down to the history of a particular subject. So sparing no expenses never mind wisdom we c...

This episode features an update on MongoDB. For those listeners old enough to remember: We had the project on the show a few years back. Much has changed since then - or has it? Stay tuned to find out. But even if you don't know what MongoDB is about but always wanted to dip your toes in the NoSQL waters of document databases and such, this episode is for you! Plus the usual nonsense about vector...

This episode is witness to our two ageing heroes taking a closer look at the mysterious and wonderful world of esoteric programming languages. So if you ever wanted to know what Brainfuck is really all about (but were too afraid to ask selected members of your family never mind your computer science lecturer), wanted to find out where Forth and Prolog are really used never mind what Zig is all abo...

This episode is all about getting computers up and running. The software that kicks in after you flick the power switch until the operating system kernel starts up to be more precise. And to be more precise, today's episode is about Coreboot, a FLOSS project aimed at replacing BIOS (rarely these days), UEFI (more often these days) and friends. Plus quite a few primers on CPUs, RAM chips and other...

This episode is all about the CI/CD of software, standing for chaotic implementation and complete disaster of course :-). Much more seriously, our two ageing heroes take a look at what's out there for the support of continuous integration and continuous deployment of software (you guessed this right? :-). Plus lots of bonus content: Hipster methodologies for developing software, a crash course on...

Like Github but don't like the company behind it? Then look no further! This episode has Otto Richter and Michael Jerger never mind our lovely elder two hosts discussing Codeberg, an FLOSS alternative to Github, Gitlab and corporate friends. Using a federated technology based on our beloved git, invented by Linus and friends all those years ago. Sounds fascinating? Then don't miss the episode! Plu...

We have made it! Six years in the making and still going strong. With a steadily increasing audience of - wait for it - at least ten listeners. When they can't get to sleep or have nothing else to do. Or - gosh - want to learn something. Like what's Usenet. And why Linux has been so important (yes, it all will be revealed in this episode!). Including a crash course on operating system design (incl...

This episode features Thunderbird, one of the (if not the most) popular mail clients in the FLOSS ecosystem. Heather Ellsworth, a buddying physicist turned DevRel (better late than never) from the project spills the beans on the history of the project not only in a Mozilla context, explains that TB's hiatus is just another urban myth and what's ahead for the project. In terms of future roadmap, mo...

This episode - recorded in an ultra-secret location near a border (any border will do - almost :-) - is witness to our two ageing heroes being in the same location for a change and gives away some giveaways. For the first time in the Inlaws' history, this episode features a glimpse into the future of the show: an overview of what's to come in 2026! Plus the usual banter about Trump, some FLOSS top...

As 'tis the season, we have a combined Xmas and New Year's episode for you. And what a blast this is! The usual suspects will make an appearance - all those characters which you have known for years and probably already taken a shine to. Yes, this does include the Grumpies (the Grumpy Old Coders) for the uninitiated, our beloved countess Vladessa and of course our two hosts Martin and Chris. This...

In this episode Martin and Chris talk to Klaus Knopper of Knoppix fame. For the few listeners who do not know what Knoppix is: Just listen to the episode (hint: it's one of the oldest life distros on the planet). Plus more on Linux for handicapped users. And the challenges of maintaining a distro and how to overcome them (watch out for the magic contained in this segment!). And an abbreviated hist...

This episode introduces a somewhat brand-new concept: an off-topic subject. As in: How to excel in the beautiful and ancient art of Origami (the Japanese fine art of paper folding, going back a few centuries if not more). Still reading? Excellent! Jokes aside, in this episode Martin and Chris will shed more light on one of their dark sides of their lives. To be more precise: podcasts the Inlaws (a...

The focus of this episode is Long Range WAN (also affectionately known as LoRaWAN. For those few people in the audience that don't have a clue: Just listen to episode - all will be revealed! Clue: it does have to do with that dreaded thing called the Internet of Things (and much much more). So stay tuned for the details! Plus bonus content: Martin finally sees the light and praises Rust (maybe). A...

In this scary Halloween episode, Martin and Chris touch on a horrible subject indeed: a 100+ years o life experience. Be prepared for the dreadful details of more than a century of combined wisdom (really?). And, yes, FLOSS maybe involved. Plus: More from another dark side: our beloved Tech Support makes an appearance once again and helps a certain Transylvanian countess with their movie problem....

The focus of this episode is Gnu Taler, an answer to the questions that Diem, various crypto currency shenanigans and other attempts at world domination via money pose to wider audience. Martin and Chris discuss the ins and outs of this approach with two of the main people behind the project, Christian Grothoff and Leo Wittman. So if you ever wanted to know about a totally legit alternative to any...

Tied up, shackled and then some: In contrast what you may be thinking after this intro, in this episode Martin and Chris take a closer look at an obscure concept known not only in esoteric circles as the software supply chain (chain being the keyword here). Once only appreciated by the inner circle of a small group of level-eight magicians, this concepts has now entered mainstream and is considere...

In this episode Martin and Chris are joined by no other than Brian Proffitt. Brian Who? If you ask that question, you belong to the approximate 2% of our listenership who don't know this head of the Open Source Program Office (OSPO) of a tiny start-up called Redhat :-). Then this episode is especially for you. But apart from contributing to Redhat's OSPO Brian wears many other hats as well (hint:...

This episode features Jack Rhysider of Darknet Diaries fame. Being an off-topic show (more to come here, for example, how to fail miserably when putting a puppet administration in place - we have screwed things up for the first two terms, but maybe Mr. Trump does have a third term?), we go into the nitty-gritty of how to produce a really successful podcast with millions of downloads (this is where...

This show hosts Michael Jerger, a German entrepreneur who has successfully built a small empire of selling services around FLOSS components which his company has contributed to the community over the years. So if you always wanted to know how federated version control systems actually work, how to program Kubernetes using a functional programming language instead of using boring Helm charts and wh...

In this episode Martin and Chris host Kyle Davis and Dmitry Polyakovsky, two members of the Valley technical steering committee. Apart from a trip down memory lane (Kyle used to be a partner in crime when Martin and Chris were still working at Redis), this episode features insights into this more-than-instantly-popular drop-in replacement for Redis, the road ahead and how the project will ultimate...