The Hacks
Thomas Hatch and Jimmy Chunga are The Hacks! Join them every week as they talk about nerd stuff. If you’re into cybersecurity, DevSecOps, SecOps, DevOps, all the Ops, infrastructure automation, network automation, configuration management, and open source then subscribe now. This will be your new favorite podcast! Because we know you’re thinking it...NO, they don’t live in their moms’ basements...this month.
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Did Open Tofu steal new Terraform code?!
04/09/2024
Did Open Tofu steal new Terraform code?!
Do you remember a few episodes ago, when Chunga said "The tech industry is terrible at this! We're the worst I've ever seen, in any industry, when it comes to taking 20-steps to do something, when it can be done in two!" This episode of The Hacks, is a perfect case study of what Chunga's talking about. Recently, Terraform changed it's license. Shortly after, a group of open source community members forked Terraform and renamed it "Open Tofu". Last week, it looks like someone within the Open Tofu eco-system has caused an awful lot of trouble. Why? Well, there is a solid accusation that Open Tofu has stolen some new features of a recent release of Terraform. To make things even more contentious and embarassing, they didn't just steal the complete feature set, they also stole the line by line code of the Terraform copywrite itself. Tom is shocked, asking the question "How could someone be this freakin stupid?!?" How does something like this happen? More importantly, whats going to happen next? Tom knows exactly why this kind of thing happens, and he has several different examples of what's going to happen next! Listen NOW
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XZ Backdoor CVE Targets Linux!!
04/02/2024
XZ Backdoor CVE Targets Linux!!
Tom and Chunga have a good one for you today! Late last week, news broke that an extremely dangerous backdoor CVE, built within the XZ compression library had compromised Linux Debian Unstable and Fedora 40-41. Fortunately, was discovered before it could hit an enterprise platform! Tom says this particular CVE was especially dangerous and hard to detect because it was built deep into the XZ compression library. As dangerous as it was, it was also brilliant backdoor hack because nobody ever pays any attention to the compression library! Plus, the hacker took an extremely long time to execute his or her plan. It was so smart in fact, that Tom says we're all very lucky it was ever discovered. Chunga has a theory that this is only the beginning when it comes to what this individual is actually planning. He's of the opinion that this person has several of these CVE's built into multiple open source software platforms. Does Tom agree with this theory? Listen NOW to find out!
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Another One Bites The Dust!
03/26/2024
Another One Bites The Dust!
Tom tells people a lot... a lot. When you choose to pick up or "adopt" open source software, you take on a certain level of liability. If you choose to deploy open source software into your infrastructure you run the risk of that software going away! We've seen this happen several times within the past year. Now things are changing at Redis. Last week, Redis announced it's changing to a dual source license. What does this mean? Well... it basically means it's no longer free for most users. In this episode of The Hacks, explain why they think Redis chose to make this decision, and why Tom says we're going to see more and more of this type of thing within the world of open source. Listen NOW!
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What Is DBOS? Will It Change Infrastructure Forever?
03/19/2024
What Is DBOS? Will It Change Infrastructure Forever?
Chunga noticed somehting recently, and he's wondering if it's symptomatic of a larger problem. A few weeks ago, a video game emulator company called "Yuzu" was sued by Nintendo. Yuzu folded and disappeared almost immediately. Since then, several other emulator makers have done the same thing. Many of them have scattered to the four winds! Unfortunately, Chunga is seeing more and more of this type of thing when it applys to other open source companies as well. Tom says Chunga's observation is spot on, and it's a huge problem, a scary problem that will have far reaching impact in the world of open source. In fact, Tom is particularly worried about same thing, but from an infrastructure perspective. Infrastructure? Why? It seems to Chunga that infrastructure is on the rebound with more and more companies choosing to move away from the cloud. Tom is deeply interested in something called DBOS, or Data Base Operating System. He says its brand new, and REALLY weird. It doesn't use the Linux kernel, and... it's in the cloud. Is this a revolutionary game changer? Tom doesn't know for sure, but he thinks it has the potential due to the fact that open source has always struggled to solve the "Last Mile" problem. Also, smaller open source operations are disappearing at a record rate, while the larger open source organizations are choosing to go "Proprietary". Then... Tom drops a bombshell on Chunga with a huge rumor thats looking more and more real by the day! What is it? Listen NOW to find out!!
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AMD & Intel Have An Open Source Answer to CUDA!
03/12/2024
AMD & Intel Have An Open Source Answer to CUDA!
Score another one for Tom Hatch! He and Chunga have been trying to get to this episode for weeks! As all of you know, Nvidia is king. At the first of the year, Tom said that if AMD and Intel wanted to have any hope being competetive and gaining ground against Nvidia's AI strangle hold, they'd have to do something "Unthinkable", and team up. Good call Tom! One of the main reasons Nvidia has been so dominant isn't because their chips are so fast (which they are), it's because the majority of their open source framework is built on top of CUDA. AMD and Intel have invested heavily in trying to come up with an answer to CUDA because their own open source offerings, HIP and ROCm, don't have an open source CUDA compatibility layer. They've both tried for years on their own, to develop one, with each company investing milliions and millions of dollars, only to come up short, and give up. Well, it sounds like both AMD and Intel have been listening to Tom, and their problems may be solved. Listen now to see what they've done!
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Video Game Emulators Are In BIG Trouble!
03/05/2024
Video Game Emulators Are In BIG Trouble!
Tom is THRILLED!!! KDE 6 is out! (crickets). Sorry Tom, nobody cares. Is that what Tom and Chunga are talking about today? KDE 6? Uh... No. Chunga doesn't really care either. Instead, they're talking about something everyone loves, video games! More specifically, video game emulators. Tom & Chunga are both big fans of emulators & have owned them for years. However, they both have a rule, they don't have a video game on an emulator unless they've already purchased it at some point. Historically, game emulators have somehow managed to recieve a substantial amount of legal protection, but a new lawsuit may change all of that. Nintendo has just filed suit against a popular video game emulator called Yuzu. Do you own one? According to Chunga, unlike other emulator companies, Yuzu is in serious trouble. Tom doesn't disagree. Why? How is it that Yuzu can be in serious legal trouble, while others have been able to not only survive law suits, but set legal precedence as well? Listen NOW to find out!
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Are Some Tech Companies Too Big Too Fail?
02/27/2024
Are Some Tech Companies Too Big Too Fail?
Nividia is big. It's been really big for a long time. Last week it got even bigger! Nividia had their earnings call late last week and caused quite a stir, in a good way, on Wall Street and it made their stock rise 16% in one day. While Nividia is the big dog, they're definitely not alone. There are more than just a handful of big tech companies that are no longer "big", they're gigantic! There are some in the media and tech experts are saying that these companies like Nividia, Broadcom, and AMD have become too big. So big that their stocks could cause problems with an individuals investment portfolio or greatly affect the overall economy. Some are even using a phrase that we all heard repeatedly during the housing crisis of 2008, "Too big to fail". Do you agree with that statement? Tom has some very strong opinions about some of the things being said about these big tech companies. Does he think their stock prices are too inflated? Does he think they're too big to fail, or are things only going to get bigger and better? Listen now to find out!
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Tom & Chunga Are Suckers! So Are YOU!
02/20/2024
Tom & Chunga Are Suckers! So Are YOU!
Its embarassing. Did you see the recent story about how hackers turned 3 million toothbrushes into a botnet in order to steal a bunch of money from people in Europe? Lots and lots of people including Tom and Chunga saw this story and thought it was amazing! Unfortunately, there was a problem... It wasn't real. The story was completely fake. As an industry, smart, learned people, we all bought it. Why? How does something like this happen? This isn't the first time either. Tom says its completely understandable. Ferris Bueller said it the best, "This world moves pretty fast." The pressure to produce and get product and information into the marketplace is incredible. We have an unquenchable thrist to be new, shiny and above all things--first. Chunga says this type of environment has caused a dangerous lack of critical thinking. Not only by innovators and content creators but by customers and consumers as well. Whats more, this is a problem that goes way beyond the tech space. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom & Chunga have some opinions that may be considered by some to be controversial. Regardless, Tom says it's long past time for each of us to start thinking as individuals, and stop buying into group ideologies because their popular or simply created by a like minded group of "experts". Do they think we as both an industry and society ever start pushing back and questioning "the best way"? Listen NOW to find out!
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The World Needs More GOOD Hackers!
02/13/2024
The World Needs More GOOD Hackers!
Recently, Chunga was talking with a guy in his teens who was really struggling, and having a hard time with some life and career choices. To many, it appeared that he had simply given up on his interests and goals. During his discussion, Chunga learned that this young man had a strong interest in cybersecurity and "counter-hacking". Sadly, he was of the opinion that it wasn't possible to make his interests a legitimate career choice without first going underground and becoming one of the bad guys, first. This was obvoiusly causing some problems for both him and his parents! Tom has heard this perception and logic many times before. It was then, and is now, very concerning to him. He says the world is desperate for talented people like this kid, and we, as an industry aren't doing enough to show interested individuals that there are lots of ways to become an expert in cybersecurity, without getting anywhere the "darkside". In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga talk about how to start from ground zero. They discuss the various ways that interested people of all ages can get the right education and certifications. They also chat about why the tech industry, including Government and corporate spaces are desperate to find qualified counter-hackers and cybersecurity experts! You want to make a ton of money, in an exciting field, with incredible job security? The Hacks are going to tell you how to get started! Listen NOW
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Volt Typhoon and Why You Should Be Very Afraid!
02/06/2024
Volt Typhoon and Why You Should Be Very Afraid!
Chunga is thinking there is going to be a prominent theme for the 2024 season of The Hacks. Last week, the FBI and additional government agencies, announced an imminent attack on United States infrastructure and corporate entities. The group responsible is a Chinese nation state hacker group called "Volt Typhoon". The FBI has been very public about the extreme urgency related to these incoming attacks, and Chunga has a bunch of questions as to why. For example, why is China being so aggressive, right now, and why is the Federal Government being so vocal and public about it? Is the Chinese Government more desperate, and perhaps less stable than we think they are? Tom says "ABSOLUTELY"! He'll give us an explination why they have chosen to ramp up their nation state cyberattacks at this moment, and help us understand what Volt Typhoon actually is! Is the Federal Government legitimately worried about this group or are they using the American public to play cat and mouse with China? Listen now to find out!!
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How Things Can Still Slip Through the Cracks!
01/30/2024
How Things Can Still Slip Through the Cracks!
Have you been following the news story about the airplane that lost one of its doors shortly after take off? Tom has been fascinated with this story. Chunga has been following it closely, as well. He's honestly shocked that in todays world, something thats as important to a passenger jet as an air tight door, can fall through the cracks and create a potential tragedy. Luckily, nobody has hurt, let alone killed. Think about it for a minute. All of those check and balances, all of the goverment regulation, all of the human oversight and still... Tom looks at this scenario much differently and is frankly suprised that in our world, disasters like this don't happen more! Especially in our tech industry. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga talk about how to prepare for when-not if-but when something falls through the cracks and what to do when it happens. They also talk about the tech industry's acceptance of catasrophic mistakes and how they can be evey bit has tragic as this recent story with the airplane. Listen NOW!
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The Ridiculous Uptick In Corporate Cyberattacks
01/23/2024
The Ridiculous Uptick In Corporate Cyberattacks
Typically, when Tom accurately predicts the outcome of a large event or the large event itself, Chunga will tactfully remind everyone that Tom had previously said something was going to happen. This time however, he feels that Tom really does need to celebrate and take a victory lap, which he would indeed do, if the circumstances weren't so dire. About a year ago, as conflicts around the world were starting to intensify, Tom said there would also be a "ridiculous uptick in corporate, and financial institution cyberattacks". These attacks would nation states and Russia, in particular. Did you hear the news last week about J.P. Morgan & Chase? They've revealed that they're currently dealing with billions of cyberattacks, every day--every, single, day. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga talk about why and how these attacks on financial institutions in particular are happening, how thousands of top-teir SecOps professionals are defending against them, and what our world will look like if they fail. Are we, as an industry, doing enough to keep defending against attacks of this volume? Listen now to find out?
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The Shifting Landscape of Open Source
01/16/2024
The Shifting Landscape of Open Source
Tom Hatch has long thought that as creators and members of the open source world, the current dogmatic views that are shared by so many, need to change. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga talk about all of the foundational "stuff" that Tom says isn't working. He says the open source model that we've been using for so long has already started to collapse and will eventually fail. Tom isn't alone in this way of thinking. There are many other thought leaders and open source creators that are saying the same exact thing! Who else is saying this? By this time next year, how different are things going to be? Listen now to find out!!
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2024 The Foundation of the Future of Tech!
01/09/2024
2024 The Foundation of the Future of Tech!
Happy New Year! Tom and Chunga are back from their extended holiday break! During their time off, Tom went on on a cruise! He also took a trip to Las Vegas to hang out his old buddy Chunga. They had a great time relaxing and doing things that had nothing to do with work. Althought they tried their best, they eventually did end up talking about the world of tech and what people will be focusing on in the new year. Tom has previously said on The Hacks that he thinks 2024 is going to be a "nuts and bolts" year, where people and the tech industry is going to focus heavily on the essentials and simplicity. With that said, he thinks this focus will lead to 2024 being a transformative year. It will be a year that will get credit for creating a foundation for the future of tech, for the next 12 to 15 years! Why does Tom think 2024 is going to such a milestone for the tech industry? Why does he think its going to set the table for nearly two decades of transformation? Listen now to find out!
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The Thrilling World of Compiler Optimization!
12/19/2023
The Thrilling World of Compiler Optimization!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from The Hacks! Tom and Chunga are getting ready for their year end holiday break! Wow, what an incredible and chaotic year its has been for both of them. As the year comes to a close, The Hacks has historically chosen to spend their last episode reviewing the biggest events of the past 12-months, etc. This year however, Tom has asked to change things up a bit and focus on something super nerdy. He wants to have fun getting into the weeds of a process hes known about but hasn't bothered doing for decades. It's called "Compiler Optimization". Chunga has no idea what that is, but ok! He's all in to talk about it! As most of you know, Tom loves Arch Linux. It's been his preferred for as long as he can remember. Recently, he learned about a new system that recompiles all of the Arch Linux packages, and optimizes them to current and/or different benchmarks, so that everything runs faster and simply put, better on x86, 64-bit, CPU's. How does it work and is it something that you should try? Listnen NOW and decide for yourself! Tom and Chunga would like to thank each and every one of you for listening to The Hacks! They hope you have a wonderful holiday season and wish you all a Happy New Year! See you in 2024!!
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Prediction's for 2024!
12/12/2023
Prediction's for 2024!
Here on The Hacks, Tom Hatch has had a near perfect record when predicting what the coming year is going to look like. In the past, he's delivered all kinds of predictions that were often times completely different than what many of the industry experts were forcasting for that particular year! Much to Chungas dismay, Tom accurately predicted that the past two years were going to be extremely volatile and challenging. He also correctly predicted record layoffs all accross the tech industry. So... What does he think is going to happen in 2024? Will the coming year be as crazy as the previous two? Will the mass layoffs and volatility continue for another 12-months? Or, is 2024 going to give us all some much needed relief? Listen NOW to find out?!
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Toms Biggest Surprises of 2023!
12/05/2023
Toms Biggest Surprises of 2023!
2023 has been a wild ride! That statement has been especially true for Tom Hatch and Chunga. Afterall, they were each part of one of the largest tech acquisitions in history! Yep, they're both overwhelmed and exhausted. To say 2023 had a lot of drama and surprises would be a colossal understatement, so the timing our annual "Toms Biggest Surprises" episode is perfect! Toms biggest surprises for this year may feel a little bit different that they have in years past. That could be because he accurately predicted many of this years larger events, including the increase in political conflict around the world. Tom was surprised not by the events and outcomes themselves, he was instead surprised by the decisions and actions that precipitated and ultimately lead to the events he predicted at the end of last year. So, where did he screw up and where did he get it right? Listen now to find out!
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The Hacks 2023 Holiday Gift Guide!
11/28/2023
The Hacks 2023 Holiday Gift Guide!
The holidays are here!! Tom and Chunga couldn't be more excited and they're proud to present The Hacks 2023 Holiday Gift Guide! Are you looking for techie gadgets and gifts for family members, co-workers, bosses, or maybe your own employees? If so, this episode is perfect for you! Tom and Chunga have some of their favorite tech based items that are virutally guranteed to brings smiles to even the hardest person to buy for on your list! They have goodies in almost every price range and they personally own and use everything that they've put in this years list! Get a solid jumpstart on this years holiday shopping with The Hacks! Listen NOW!
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Things Tom Is Thankful For 2023!
11/21/2023
Things Tom Is Thankful For 2023!
Tom and Chunga would like to wish all of you, no matter where you are, a Happy Thanksgiving! It's become a tradition here on The Hacks! Every year at this time, Chunga sits down with Tom for a special Thanksgiving episode called "Things Tom Is Thankful For"! Historically, this episode is one of the more popular episodes of the entire year, thanks to Toms unique and somewhat quirky answers! This year however, Tom may surprise you. Rather than spending the time talking about tech, Tom has chosen to be more personal. 2023 has been an interesting and challenging year. Maybe thats what makes this particular episode so special. What is Tom thankful for in 2023? Listen NOW to find out!
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How Much Do Open Source Companies Influence Each Other?
11/14/2023
How Much Do Open Source Companies Influence Each Other?
A few months ago, Red Hat made the decision to restrict it's source code. As much as it pains Tom to say, he thinks Red Hat was smart to do it, even though its a move thats been fairly unpopular with its own community and users. It proves that Red Hat understands something Tom calls the "Trinity of Open Source". Chunga is curious about the impact these decisions will have over other open source projects and companies. Additionally, he wonders how much influence Red Hat actually has in the open source space in todays world. Tom has many opinions and thoughts to answer Chunga's curiosity about this area. For years, Red Hat has been the example and model of how open source companies choose to operate. However, as companies have evolved over the years, that may no longer be the case according to Tom. Why? Listen now to find out!
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Benchmarks and Data, Here's The Problem!
11/07/2023
Benchmarks and Data, Here's The Problem!
Tom and Chunga are both gearheads. They both love getting into the weeds, and learning everything they can about pretty much anything, not just computers! No matter what it is, they love to do their research. When it comes to research, data, and benchmarks, unfortunately there's a problem. Depending on where you look and how look, research can give us a mountain of conflicting information. This data can oftentimes be greatly skewed to favor a desired outcome, and it can be done without being deceptive, even though its inaccurate! In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga talk about the importance of conducting proper research and how to look at benchmarks and data in order to accurately formulate an opinion or result. Listen NOW!
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Can you Really Make Money With A.I.?
10/24/2023
Can you Really Make Money With A.I.?
A.I., Artificial Intelligence. When you look back on 2023, A.I. will definetely be remembered as the biggest industry term of the year--but, can companies actually make money with it? From a business perspective,A.I. is fairly counter intuitive according to Tom Hatch. Companies are dumping massive amounts of money into video cards and assorted hardware, and they're not making money with any of it! Why? Simply put, A.I. has yet to deliver a substantive, targeted, solution. Chunga says while A.I. is cool, and very exciting, it's still a mess. Its potential is a long way from being truly understood. Does Tom have an opinion on how the industry can make that happen? He sure does, listen now to find out what he says!
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Can Intel and AMD Compete With Nvidia Anymore?
10/17/2023
Can Intel and AMD Compete With Nvidia Anymore?
Nvidia is a beast. It has become an absolute monster. Chunga isn't surprised at all, he's been an Nvidia fan boy for decades! The industry on the other hand, seems to be very surprised at how quickly Nividia has been able to become the top dog, in the chip space. This rise has some industry experts asking if it's even possible for competitors like AMD and Intel to compete. Tom says it's very possible and he has the answer on how AMD and Intel can catch Nvidia very quickly. Not only that, he says that he has a way AMD can double their stock price in just 18-short months and it's easier and cheaper than they may think it is. Here's a hint, Tom says the key to winning is Open Source. How? Listen NOW to find out!
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Intelligence Gathering and Tech--Far From Fullproof.
10/10/2023
Intelligence Gathering and Tech--Far From Fullproof.
Tom and Chunga are kind of stuck. Over the weekend, the whole world changed its focus. In light of everything that is currently happening in Israel, they're having a hard time trying to talk about anything unrelated without sounding incredibly tone-deaf. Because of this, Tom & Chunga--while being ultra cautious and respectful to those that are suffering--have chosen to talk about something that's safer. It's something that Chunga is seeing, and says the media is getting completely wrong. Throughout this tragedy, there have been tons of reports about how this war was started in part due to an "intelligence failure". Chunga disagrees with this. He says this narrative is highly inaccurate, if not completely wrong altogether. Tom, who has a long history as a member of the U.S. intelligence community says Chunga is 100% correct. He believes the media should work harder to understand the complexities of how Governments gather intelligence, in order to better inform the public about how horrors, like the ones we're all currently seeing can happen; despite the best efforts of extremely smart, hard working, dedicated professionals. In Toms opinion, the attacks that were started in Israel over the weekend were not the result of an intelligence failure, becuase sometimes is not possible to get intelligence to begin with. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom talks with Chunga about the differend types and methods governments use to gather intelligence about an enemy, and explains how that information can often times sketchy, incomplete and or completely non-exsistant.
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Distributed Computing, No Universal Remedy
10/03/2023
Distributed Computing, No Universal Remedy
Somehow, while watching Tom eat a sandwich, Chunga managed to equate Toms lunch to Kubernetes and containerization. Once again proving--Chunga is a genius. Tom says Kubernetes has its place and purpose, but it has fallen far short of the intense hype that surrounded it when it first came on to the scene. He remembers a time, back in 2015, when people boldy declared that "all infrastructure will be Kubernetes!" This is something that Tom has never believed. Furthermore, he says universal distributed computing is still a long way from being realized. Why is that? After all this time and evolution, one would think that distributed computing, and data centers would be simple and common place in todays world. Tom has a singular reason why this is not the case. He also says that distrubuted computing is a unicorn, and going to remain so until this one, single, reason is standarized. What is it? Listen NOW to find out!
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Social Engineering and Casino Hacks!
09/26/2023
Social Engineering and Casino Hacks!
Have you been following this story in the news? A few days ago, MGM Resorts and Ceasars Palace suffered massive cyber-attacks, just days apart! Although they were close in timing and proximity, each company handled their respective attack differently. Both intrusions were ransomware attacks, executed by using social engineering. Ceasars Palace chose to pay millions in ransomware, while MGM refused. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom and Chunga discuss who made the right decision. Was it MGM or was it Ceasars Palace? The also talk about social engineering and why Tom says it's the least understoon, most mysterious, and often times most effective method of cyber-attack. How did these attacks happen? Which company was ultimately better off, based on their strategies and decisions? Listen NOW to find out!
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The Key To Innovation Longevity
09/19/2023
The Key To Innovation Longevity
Last week, Tom lost someone who was central figure in his life. Dr. Micheal Grady was a professor of at Southern Utah University and was a personal mentor of Tom's. In truth, he wasn't just a mentor. Dr. Grady was the first person to recognize Toms early potential to become an innovator in tech. When Dr. Grady passed away, his wife called Tom and asked him to come to their current home in New Mexico to help her go through his personal office in order to catalogue and organize his personel effects. While going through his mentors notes and writings, Tom was amazed to see the empasis he had placed on having longevity as an innovator, right up to his death. It's something that has really stuck with Tom since he's been back home. In this episode of The Hacks, Tom pays tribute to his mentor, Dr. Grady and talks with Chunga about the importance of pushing yourself forward, every day, regardless of success and/or level of experience. Spoiler: Tom uses Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones as an example! Listen NOW!
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Toms Love of Quantum Computing!
09/12/2023
Toms Love of Quantum Computing!
WOW! The Hacks has been extra technical lately! With all the drama surrounding changes to open source licensing at HashiCorp, and source code restricitions at Red Hat, recent Hacks episodes have been...well, complex and heavy. Tom and Chunga would like to lighten things up a bit. Maybe have an episode thats more light hearted and fun! Tom has the perfect topic to talk about, Quantum Resistant Cryptography and Quantum Computing! (Chunga starts to "ugly cry"). Tom loves quantum computing and is surprised how little its understood by professionals within the tech space. In this episode of The Hacks, he's going to show everyone (including Chunga) how easy quantum computing actually is! Tom says it represents a wholesale shift in modern day computing. Not only that, he's saying it will be much sooner than people think! How soon? How big? Listen to this episode to find out!!
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Our Dangerous Appetite For Computer Chips
09/05/2023
Our Dangerous Appetite For Computer Chips
As you all know, the U.S. Government has announced a crackdown on Chinese computer chip manufacturers. There is currently an effort underway to restrict and in some cases completely eliminate the sale of Chinese made computer chips to U.S. owned companies. Some experts claim that this quasi-embargo is going to cripple American commerce! Tom is predicting a different potential outcome. He says these restrictions are going to be devastating to the Chinese government interests and businesses. So much so, that it could potentially be a precursor to conflict. History has proven that all nation state conflict is ultimately based on economics! When the economic balance of rival nations shifts too far to one side or the other, conflict becomes a viable equalizer. Listen to this episode to learn more!
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Long Term Maintainership and Consortium Forking
08/29/2023
Long Term Maintainership and Consortium Forking
Open Source madness continues! With all of the changes taking place within a few of the worlds largest open source offerings, many are starting to ask lots of questions. A bunch of those questions are about long term maintainership and how their own infrastructure will be affected. On the heels of two huge announcements from Red Hat and HashiCorp, there are now two large, promised communities that are asking "what are we going to do"? Tom says these questions have already led to discussions about "consortium forking". Back in the day, forking open source software was often times viewed as a threat, leveraged by community members to get what they want from an open source software provider. According to Tom, forking open source software can be a good thing--sometimes. This primarily if you're forking the software to accomplish specific internal needs of your infrastructure. However, when a decision is made to fork a large, consortium based, open source entity, things get much more difficult--thanks to long term maintainership--and ultimately ends with the wholesale splintering of a community. Why is it assumed that this will happen, and is there a way to prevent it? Listen to this episode to find out!
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