In this bonus episode, we hear from Kubernetes superstar Kelsey Hightower. Diving into crucial elements like empathy in maintainership, succession planning, and the identification of future leaders, hosts Martin Woodward and Neha Batra explore Kelsey’s philosophy on fostering thriving open source communities—and his hopes for the future state of Kubernetes. Dedicated to GitHub’s Maintainer Month, the conversation focuses on the people behind the projects, highlighting their extraordinary effort and celebrating their impact on the community. To close out this special episode, members of The ReadME Podcast community thank maintainers who have had a positive impact on them.Here’s what’s in store for this episode:00:00 - Introduction: The hosts discuss GitHub May-ntainer Month and introduce Kelsey Hightower!1:07 - The interview: Kelsey talks the hosts through how he got into tech, how maintainers can avoid burnout, the importance of identifying new leaders, what the future holds for Kubernetes and much much more!32:55 - Maintainer shout-out!  ​​Aaron Francis, Cassidy Williams, Frances Coronel, Anthony Sottile, Peter Strömberg, and Brandon Ringe call in to  share their appreciation for fellow maintainers in their lives.Special thanks to our guest, Kelsey Hightower, and to all of the maintainers who called in to share appreciation for their fellow maintainers. Check-out The ReadME Project, for more episodes as well as featured articles, developer stories, helpful guides, and much more! Send your feedback, questions, and ideas to [email protected]

This month, we consider the evolution of openness in open source. The ReadME Project’s Senior Editor, Mike Melanson joins hosts Martin and Neha to discuss expert advice on why “closed to contributions” sometimes makes sense and how that model aligns with open source expectations. Additionally, maintainer, founder, and CEO of Scarf Avi Press highlights the benefit of analytics to maintainers and the open source community, and discusses the metrics that matter most. Also, Jessica Januik, Senior Software Engineer at Google, answers a listener question and shares insight into why humor is paramount when building team chemistry.Here’s what’s in store for this episode:00:00 - The hosts examine what’s new in open source, highlighting new communities like Mastodon and Bluesky.01:37 - First Commit: Open source saves the day! From climate change to nuclear radiation, open source is empowering communities to adapt to catastrophe.05:48 - Feature Release: The ReadME Project’s Mike Melanson welcomes Ben Johnson to share key considerations when deciding how to approach project contributions.20:00 - The Interview: Avi Press, maintainer, founder, and CEO of Scarf, shares his perspective on how the open source community, and maintainers in specific, can benefit from improved community analytics.34:00 - #AskRMP: Jessica Januik highlights why humor is so important when building a team or community.Looking for more stories and advice from the open source community? To learn more from the authors and experts featured on this episode, check out:How ‘open’ should your open source be? by Mike MelansonFormatters, linters, and compilers: Oh my! by Josh GoldbergHarness the power of generative AI for software development by Anton MirgorodchenkoGitHub’s Maintainer Month calendarSustain Podcast Maintainer Month seriesSpecial thanks to Avi Press for detailing community analytics for maintainers, Jessica Januik for sharing insight into building team chemistry, and Ben Johnson for walking us through his decision to limit contributions to Litestream.Check-out The ReadME Project, for more episodes as well as featured articles, developer stories, helpful guides, and much more! Send your feedback, questions, and ideas to [email protected] 

This month we’re exploring quantum leaps in technology—then, now, and what devs can do today to prepare for tomorrow. The hosts welcome Klint Finley, Senior Editor of The ReadME Project, to discuss the role that open source played in a recent nuclear fusion breakthrough. Additionally, we speak with Jerome Hardaway, Executive Director of Vets Who Code, who shares practical advice on fortifying your career against unforeseen forces. And for those just getting started, Kedasha Kerr joins us to answer a listener question and provide tips to get going with Git and GitHub.Here’s what’s in store for this episode:00:00 - The hosts discuss technological change and how developers can adjust.01:37 - First Commit: How transatlantic telegraph lines were placed between the U.S. and Britain.05:48 - Feature Release: The ReadME Project’s Klint Finley welcomes J. Luc Peterson of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to discuss the role open source played in a recent fusion breakthrough.20:00 - The Interview: Jerome Hardaway, Executive Director of Vets Who Code, shares the advice he gives his troops on how to fortify your career against shifts in the job market. Check out more from Jerome in his new Guide on GitHub.com/ReadME where he shares practical advice on moving from junior to senior engineering roles.34:00 - #AskRMP: GitHub’s Kedasha Kerr answers a listener question about getting started with GitHub. Her practical advice goes beyond version control and helps users get the most out of the platform.Looking for more stories and advice from the open source community? To learn more from the authors and experts featured on this episode, check out:Open source is fueling the future of nuclear physics by Klint FinleyTwitch: A game changer for developers by Dr. Johanna PirkerSimplifying developer onboarding with a few clicks by Art Chaidarun of DuolingoJunior to senior: An action plan for engineering career success by Jerome HardawaySpecial thanks to Kedasha Kerr for sharing her thoughts on getting started with Git and GitHub. Also, thank you to J. Luc Peterson for providing insight on open source’s role in developing nuclear fusion technology.

Here’s what’s in store for this episode:00:00 - The hosts hear from Ed Summers, GitHub’s head of accessibility, about the meaning of disability and accessibility and why it's important to involve everyone in building technology. 10:43 - The panel: Annalu Waller, Becky Tyler, and Kirsty McNaught join the hosts to discuss how they started working together, why inclusion in development is so important to producing the best outcomes for everyone, and what AI means for the future of accessibility. 32:55 - Release notes: The ReadME Project Senior Editor Mike Melanson discusses his article diving deeper into how open source is expanding accessibility development.Looking for more stories and advice from the open source community? To learn more from the authors and experts featured on this episode, check out:Featured Article & Video: From gaming with your eyes to coding with AI: New frontiers for accessibility by Mike MelansonVideo: The ReadME Podcast’s accessibility conversation with Annalu, Becky, and KirstyKristy McNaught’s GitHub Sponsors page and open source project, EyeMineThe unique origins of open source in machine learning by Mikio BraunCheck out Ed Summer’s keynote at axe-conSpecial thanks to Annalu Waller, Becky Tyler, and Kirsty McNaught for being a part of this conversation. Also, thank you to Ed Summers for setting the stage, sharing his story, and highlighting why accessible technology benefits everyone. 

Here’s what’s in store for this episode:00:00 - The hosts discuss how to impress and win over the heart of a developer in your life. 02:30 - First Commit: How India built the PARAM 8000 supercomputer. 06:07 - The Interview: Peter Strömberg and Brandon Ringe, the co-maintainers of Calva, discuss the benefits of sharing responsibility for open source maintainership. 18:18 - #AskRMP: We learn from Jana Iris about best practices for community building from scratch. 21:15 - Feature Release: The ReadME Project’s Klint Finley shares what we can learn from vintage computing.Looking for more stories and advice from the open source community? To learn more from the authors and experts featured on this episode, check out:Building super fans through genuine human connections by Jana IrisAgical, Peter Strömberg’s employer and open source sponsor.The modern web’s underrated powerhouse by Klint FinleyEnterprise code migration with developer happiness in mind by Prince Shekhar Valluri (LinkedIn)Move past incident response to reliability by Will LarsonSpecial thanks to Jana Iris for sharing her thoughts on getting started with OSS community building. Also, thank you to Peter Strömberg and Brandon Ringe, co-maintainers of Calva, for providing their insight on collaborative maintainership and how building together can benefit the community.