Who are we?
Dr. Chris Zimmermann is a FOSS fanatic, communist (sometimes) and expert on esoteric software aspects how to configure Mail Transfer Agents while not carving in to insanity, troubleshoot computer networks without the use of recreational drugs and the advanced enjoyment of craft beverages. He mostly lives in Frankfurt, Germany. In contrast to Mr. Visser the size of his brain has a reverse correlation to the size of his head.
Martin Visser is a slightly less egocentric (actually far from egocentric) computer scientist and engineer, non-communist from Birmingham, UK. In contrast to Dr. Zimmermann, he has human interaction and social protocols down to a fine art.
Why another FOSS podcast?
For those who use any means of transport on a regular basis it is a great way to stimulate the brain.
Others have come before us, tried and failed to achieve this level.
What's in it for me?
Great entertainment
Invaluable tech tips helping with aspects of everday life including the proper recital of Vogon poetry in that worst-case scenario that Brexit finally shadows the Vogons’ landing and how to take care of the proper biological foundation for recreational drugs
A chance to feedback your comments. Glowing ones will be published, others ignored.
The opportunity to request expert knowledge and discussion on a topic of your choice!
What's in it for the Inlaws?
The impending fame and successful broadcasting careers (Martin’s vision) play a small part in this decision.
Which is of course totally overshadowed by the reason of world domination. Donations are encouraged. Ideally in liquid wheat brew format (of course rye, barley, spelt and other assorted grains go as well).
How to get up and running?
(this is how we do it, your mileage may vary)
- Pick an open source operating system of choice that features a decent package management system (unless you’re really technical and know what you’re doing) and is Posix-compliant. In this instance Ubuntu 19.10 was the preferred candidate
- Don't worry about Mumble. Many have tried, most have failed to use this piece of
software for synchronous podcast recording
- Get some really cool music licensed under CC-BY(-SA) from places like Jamendo
- Install a Synapse server on a publicly accessible server and use Riot-Web as a front-end for this instance
- Get Audacity and tty-clock (if you really want to accurate synchronise your system clock with an NTP server)
- Using Audacity and tty-clock, record your friendly podcast locally using Riot-Web's audio call feature to synchronise the hosts and guests
- For the post-production, simply mix the individual streams together and edit to your
heart's content.
- Stick to mono when producing the final ogg or mp3 file, adding music and other content as appropriate
- Upload the audio file to HPR
- Create associated website using some cool HTML/CSS framework
- Watch it go viral (the important bit!)
The kit?
- One home server running Ubuntu 19.10 with mumble-server and Synapse (a reference implementation) of the federated protocol known as Matrix for comms
- One cheap bit of kit running somewhere in Germany at a snails pace (Martin’s opinion before the D-Wave upgrade - little did he know :-)) => much patience is required attempting to use this
- Two laptops for remote access, running a Murmur client (typically Mumble itself), Audacity and various text editors in addition to riot-web or another Matrix / Synapse client
- One MPow USB headset and one interim Logitech 2 Pro (thank you MPow for the countless hours of debugging x-talk issues - we learned a lot! :-)
The Episodes
All episodes are hosted on the Internet Archive.
The following only represents the last ten episodes, you find the
full backcatalog of all episodes released so far here.
- S01E98: FLOSS and venture capital
This episode is host to Alex Hochgarten, a venture capitalist focussing on FLOSS start-ups among other things. Even if you're not a start-up looking for cash right now, you will find this episode more than interesting as it gives an overview of the venture capital funding process apart from other black magic; the chances, risks, ins and outs of these issues and what to look out for when going after this sort of investment for your next contraband smuggling operation, drug counterfeit outfit or weapons wholesale boutique (hint: stay on the legal side to begin with). Plus juicy details about our cash position (if you're interested in that sort of thing :-).
Due to some alien interference (in the literal sense, apparently Chris forgot to pay his contribution to the widows and orphans fund of a species called Vogons, normally known for their excellent taste in poetry and other fine literature), the audio quality of this episode has suffered a little bit, a circumstance for which the Inlaws would like to extend their sincerest apologies (Chris has replenished his cash stash once again so contributions to Vogons and other alien races looking for hard cold cash should be flowing without interruptions in the future).
Links:
- S01E97: The one about the public sector
This show is all about the public sector. Yes, that money pit where all of your taxes vanish into for the greater good, mediocre services and fat pay checks for politicians. Or so it seems. But despair not, there's a silver lining at the horizon: Martin and Chris dive into the use of FLOSS in this area, shedding light on the good, the bad and the ugly. Plus: Additional juice on the only communist distribution on the planet (spoiler: yes, it does come from North Korea).
Links:
- S01E96: Tuxedo Computers
In this episode host Annika and Werner from Tuxedo, a German PC vendor that ships their systems with a pure FLOSS stack installed instead of proprietary software. Topics of discussion include the origins of the company, their own distribution based on Ubuntu and some of the challenges with this approach.
Links:
- S01E95: Halloween Special 2023
In this Halloween special Martin and Chris discuss the scariest moments and people in FLOSS history. No project, person or concept is safe from these in-depth revelations so don't miss this episode. Plus - as it's custom at this time of year - the Dark Side Tech Support makes another appearance when a lower deity rings with a technical problem. You REALLY don't want to miss this if you're religious, like black humour or are otherwise socially challenged. And some PostgreSQL bonus marketing content :-).
Links:
- S01E94: IT Security with an Armchair Investigator
In this episode Martin and Chris host Lars Wallenborn, a reverse engineer, software developer and podcast co-host. Topics covered include the use of FLOSS in IT security and how this can help to advance this field, general supply chain challenges from an IT security perspective with FLOSS and the resulting ramifications and other hot subjects in this field. Ever wanted to know to how to stay safe when using FLOSS components in your code? Then you don't want to miss this episode.
Links:
- S01E93: A blatant act of shameless self-promotion
In this episode, Martin and Chris host Shea, a long-time listener and first-time caller :-). In contrast to what you may believe listening to this episode, marketing had NO play whatsoever in bringing Shea on air and any of his opinions about the show, Linux in particular, the world in general - you get the idea - are entirely his and are not sponsored by the Inlaws in any way.
Want to get on the show as well? Simply top Shea's amount of feedback emails (currently clocking in at approximately 25,000) and an episode is yours. But before getting any ideas like letting a bot do all of the hard work of sending these mails: We will spot the difference, so only genuine, hand-written (on a keyboard :-) emails will be considered.
Links:
- S01E92: LATEX without bondage
IN this episode Martin and Chris host Uwe Ziegenhagen, a veteran of the LaTeX community. For our younger hipster audience, LaTeX has been the typesetting system of choice for generations of scientists publishing their work far beyond the realm of computer science (as a matter of fact, Chris' first two books were produced using this software). Plus more on one of Martin's dirty little secrets (hint: it concerns Netflix lesser known sides). Plus a trip down memory lane for Chris. So if you're interested in computer-aided typesetting or want to know more about Martin's secrets or Chris' past, this is your show!
Links:
- S01E91: FLOSS and software testing
In this episode our two ageing heroes discuss the wonderful and mysterious art of software quality with a special focus on testing. Ever wondered why this bleeding piece of code you just wrote doesn't do what it's supposed to or what to do if faced with somebody else's messy code and are tasked to check it out? Then this episode is definitely for you!
Links:
- S01E90: MongoDB (with a slight marketing angle :-)
This episode features Joe Drumgoole, head of developer relations at MongoDB (at the time of the recording). MongoDB of course being one of the document databases in the NoSQL space. So if you're interested in what this NoSQL hype is all about anyway or want to catch up on the latest shenanigans at MongoDB, this is an episode not to be missed. Full disclosure: This episode does contain some marketing angles and a few somewhat biased views on technologies which some of our listeners may find discomforting (or which others may find particularly enjoyable). Anyway, you have been warned :-). Plus: Details on how to cook salmon with fruit juice and liquorice.
Links:
- S01E89: FLOSS and relationships (marriage counselling special)
In this episode, Martin and Chris discuss the relationship between relationships and FLOSS. Given the apparent similarities between these two areas regarding problem solving, escalations, etc. many tried and tested approaches are examined and evaluated in a relationship context. So if you are just after going through a break-up and wondered what the heck went wrong, plan to engage in a romantic liaison or are in the thick of it, this show is definitively for you. Plus: How to save on relationship counselling (by listening to this episode of course :-).
Links:
All content licensed under 
The DarkSide Tech Support (DSTS)
The DSTS is loosely inspired by the Bastard Operator From Hell,
where a somewhat misguided support specialist tends to break all hell loose on innocent callers who expect help
and guidance on various computer problems. In contrast to this purely fictional prototype, the DSTS deals with
real-world problems such as rewriting history aided by computers, how American presidents tackle virus issues and
how an ancient Egyptian pharaoh tries to remedy the seven plagues inflicted on his empire by talking to God herself.
More episodes in the making - stay tuned!
Similar to other parts of the show, DSTS welcomes listeners' suggestion about topics they would like
to see covered. So if you have a plague you cannot get rid of or need divine intervention otherwise, don't
hesitate to send us a mail.
Contact
Joking aside, we do appreciate feedback. So please email us at feedback@linuxinlaws.eu
Or you can follow us on Mastodon (fosstodon.org)
Or talk to us at various open source events!
