In this episode of the G Research Open Source Software Outreach Podcast (GROSS OUT), host Jay Faulkner sits down with Dr. Dawn Foster, Director of Data Science at the CHAOSS Project and veteran open source consultant, to explore the hidden infrastructure that keeps open source communities thriving.

Dawn shares her 30-year journey through the open source world, from compiling dependencies as a sysadmin in the '90s to earning a PhD studying collaboration in the Linux kernel. The conversation dives deep into the metrics and governance structures that separate sustainable projects from those destined to fail—including the critical "lottery factor" (what happens when the most important person in your project disappears) and why you should build governance before you need it.

CHAOSS Project - https://chaoss.community/

G-Research is hiring in London, UK! Apply at https://gresearch.com/vacancies.

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/Znk5e4DfR50.

The GR-OSS OUT Podcast is produced by Ben Wiley.

Special Guest: Dawn Foster.

Alex Gaynor, long-time open source contributor and core developer of Django, PyPy, and Python's cryptography library, joins us to discuss the challenging transition from C to Rust in the Python ecosystem. We explore memory safety vulnerabilities like buffer overflows, the technical and community challenges of introducing Rust to a major Python library, and how to navigate hostile feedback during controversial changes. Alex shares lessons from shipping the first Rust-based cryptography release, managing platform compatibility issues, and why sometimes breaking backwards compatibility is necessary to move an ecosystem forward.

A must-listen for anyone maintaining critical open source infrastructure or dealing with the "gross" realities of pushing technological boundaries.

https://cryptography.io/en/latest/

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/FQayBHWVsQA.

The GR-OSS OUT Podcast is produced by Ben Wiley.

Special Guest: Alex Gaynor.

Tabitha Diaminico from G Research sits down with Stacey Potter, Manager of Community at the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), to explore what makes open source communities thrive. Stacey shares her unique journey through open source—from working at a license compliance company to shepherding projects like Flux through CNCF graduation, and now building inclusive communities at OpenSSF. Discover the practical strategies for welcoming new contributors, the surprising parallels between marketing and community building, and why people are truly the heart of open source.

Whether you're a seasoned maintainer looking to grow your project, a developer considering your first contribution, or simply curious about the open source security landscape, you'll hear actionable insights on creating psychological safety in communities, the importance of good documentation, and exciting initiatives like OpenSSF's upcoming ambassador program. Plus, get the inside scoop on upcoming OpenSSF events and smaller projects that deserve more love.

G-Research is hiring in Dallas, TX and London, UK! Apply at https://gresearch.com/vacancies.

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/-nJHBWtcTug.

The GR-OSS OUT Podcast is produced by Ben Wiley.

Special Guest: Stacey Potter.

In this episode of the G Research Open Source Software Outreach Podcast, host Jay Faulkner sits down with Priyanka "Pinky" Ravi, Platform Tech Advocate at G Research, to explore her unique path from full-stack developer to open source advocate. Pinky shares her fascinating journey implementing inner source practices at State Farm, leading Kubernetes GitOps adoption, and eventually joining the team behind Flux at WeaveWorks. The conversation dives deep into what GitOps really means, the four core principles that define true GitOps, and how pull-based deployment models solve configuration drift. Along the way, they discuss the evolution of DevOps practices, the power of infrastructure as code, and why the CNCF ecosystem has become such a valuable community for both users and maintainers.

G-Research is hiring in Dallas, TX and London, UK! Apply at https://gresearch.com/vacancies.

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/T86st3YsZ6o.

The GR-OSS OUT Podcast is produced by Ben Wiley.

Special Guest: Pinky Ravi.

In this episode of the G-Research Open Source Software Outreach Podcast, we sit down with Tim Boudreau, one of the early members of G-Research's open source initiative. Tim shares his unique perspective on transitioning from 30 years of writing proprietary software to working in open source communities.

We explore the challenges of moving from the controlled environment of corporate development to the exposed world of public repositories, where your code is visible from day one. Tim discusses the psychological shifts required, from developing a thicker skin to handling rejection, and shares candid stories about both successful contributions and frustrating rejections from major open source projects.

The conversation covers practical advice for developers considering their first open source contributions, the importance of community engagement, and strategies for testing the waters before diving into major contributions. Tim also touches on his current work with NVIDIA's Big AI framework and how G-Research has evolved from having an insular and closed security posture to being an active participant in the open source ecosystem.

G-Research is hiring in Dallas, TX and London, UK! Apply at https://gresearch.com/vacancies.

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/-nJHBWtcTug.

The GR-OSS OUT Podcast is produced by Ben Wiley.

Special Guest: Tim Boudreau.

In this episode of the G Research Open Source Software Outreach Podcast, host Jay Faulkner sits down with security researcher and engineer David Leadbeater. They dive into David’s journey from hacking on Linux as a kid to discovering vulnerabilities in modern terminals. The conversation explores how obscure bugs can linger in new code, the messy reality of threat modeling, the challenges of maintaining secure open source software, and war stories from email security days.

Check out DGL's personal blog at [dgl.cx](dgl.cx).

Come work for G-Research in Dallas, TX or London, UK -- see open positions at https://www.gresearch.com/vacancies

Special Guest: David Leadbeater.

Mark Burnett, Head of Technology Innovation at G-Research joins us to discuss the impact of open source on enterprise software, the value of being a loud open source customer, and finding open source already aligned to business needs. Mark also provides valuable insight to other business leaders on how to engage the open source community and use open source concepts to fail fast and innovate fast.

G-Research is hiring in Dallas, TX and London, UK! Apply at https://gresearch.com/vacancies.

Subscribe to the video version of this podcast at https://youtube.com/@oss-gr

Special Guest: Mark Burnett.

Join us as we talk to Ben Wilson about Databricks. Learn about the journey of working in an OSS based business, look into the future of "AI", and learn about how a seasoned developer can have a "GR-OSS" moment and recover from it.

Links:

Come work for G-Research in Dallas, TX or London, UK -- see open positions at https://www.gresearch.com/vacancies

For a video version of this podcast, check out https://youtu.be/-nJHBWtcTug

Special Guest: Ben Wilson.

In this podcast, Jeremy and Clark talk to us about the open infrastructure stack that powers open infrastructure software! Learn why OpenDev exists, what it can be useful for, and how you can join the collaboratory.

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Special Guests: Clark Boylan and Jeremy Stanley.

In this podcast, Tabatha and Jay discuss security, oss communities, and the places security and community can intersect. Learn how GR-OSS works with CHAOSS and OpenSSF as part of our open source work.

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Want to use open source software to build the next big thing? Check out job vacancies at G-Research! https://www.gresearch.com/vacancies/

Special Guest: Tabatha DiDomenico.