Best Jim McQuillan Podcasts (2025)

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15: POSIXLY_CORRECT - What it means to be POSIX Compliant 1:03:08

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8h ago1:03:08

1:03:08

Listen in as Jim describes what POSIX is, what it means to be "POSIX Compliant" and why you should (or shouldn't) care. Hosts: Jim McQuillan can be reached at [email protected] Wolf can be reached at [email protected] Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected] If you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeAr…

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14: You are NOT Google 56:08

10d ago56:08

56:08

Wolf surfaces five fundamentals to becoming a better developer (that you probably didn’t even know you didn’t know)! This is a fiery one! Jim asks questions, and also questions Wolf's choices. Takeaways The problem comes first—ask more questions Start with the simplest thing that could reasonably work Measure before you optimize (but don’t be stupi…

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13: Terminals: Talking to the machine 1:11:49

24d ago1:11:49

1:11:49

Jim takes us on a walk down memory lane! Terminals have been around for a long time, probably much longer than you'd ever guess. Join us as we talk about the history of computer terminals and get a bit into how they work and how they've evolved into the amazing applications that we have today. Links https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleprinter https:/…

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12: GPUs - Can I, Should I, and How? 1:01:42

1M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

It's Wolf's turn this episode, and this one required research! GPUs obviously do tons of work. You see it every time you play a graphics intensive game. You know how crypto-miners are using them. You’ve heard AI companies using them for model building. You’ve got this hardware in your machine! Can you use it? Should you use it? Where even to start?…

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11: IPv6 - Size really does matter 1:07:41

2M ago1:07:41

1:07:41

Jim demonstrates more of his networking knowledge, though this episode still required a lot research. Wolf, of course, has questions. The internet has been around for more than 40 years in some form. It's outgrown its ability to handle all of the hosts but fortunately, there's a solution. IPv6 is mature and wide-spread and not only does it increase…

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10: Command-Line Superpowers: Connecting Simple Tools for Complex Solutions 1:36:17

2M ago1:36:17

1:36:17

Wolf hands you the keys to the old-world kingdom, which turn out to still be valuable, just much less used! Most programmers are comfortable in their IDE but still click through file managers and manually handle repetitive tasks outside of it. You might know basic command line navigation, maybe even write the occasional script, but you're missing t…

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9: Looking at Data Types From Both Sides 1:26:41

3M ago1:26:41

1:26:41

We talk about data types and their importance in software development. Modern dynamic languages hide type information from you but it's still there, under the hood. Statically-typed languages, on the other hand, bring types right out in front of you. What are the fundamental types and why are they important? What about user defined types and aggreg…

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8: I’ve Been Using AI to Code for a Year. Here’s What I Learned 1:19:12

3M ago1:19:12

1:19:12

Wolf has a lot to say about AI and coding! If you’re expecting AI to write entire programs for you while you sit back and watch, we're going to disappoint you right up front—that’s not what these tools do well, and chasing that fantasy will waste your time. But what if we told you there’s a tool that could help you interpret cryptic error messages,…

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7: VPNs - Connecting Safely 51:31

4M ago51:31

51:31

If you need to connect to remote networks, or if you are outside of your network and would like to connect into it, then almost certainly you need a VPN. Jim has lots of real-world experience connecting networks together. In this episode we talk about various ways to connect and list some of the issues that you might run into. Take-aways from the e…

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6: Code Performance - Where does the money go? 1:02:07

4M ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Wolf talks about making your programs better. There are lots of ways to make them better. It all starts with figuring out what matters and measuring it. Measuring it all the time. Measuring it more. This episode is about following that path. Show notes: Take-aways from the episode: Understand what you are optimizing for: (speed,memory,storage,devel…

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5: Filesystems - So many choices 1:07:24

5M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

When setting up a new system there's many things to think about including choosing the filesystem. In this episode, Jim dives into all of the choices and describes the benefits of each. Wolf is here to ask the questions, and to fail at keeping Jim entirely on track. Show notes Things to think about: For Linux, ext4 is the default for many distros a…

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4: Functional Programming - You're probably already doing it 28:57

5M ago28:57

28:57

People throw around the term Functional Programming but it's not always clear what they mean. In this episode, Wolf explains what goes into FP, and together we build a clearer picture that reveals you might already be doing it. Show notes and things to think about: Functional programing isn't academic. It isn't overwhelming. It isn't impossible to …

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3: Web Assembly 46:42

6M ago46:42

46:42

Web browsers and web sites have been around for quite a while. Javascript has been the language driving those pages but there's a way to write in a lower-level language and speed up the slow parts without losing cross-platform compatibility. That way is called Web Assembly (WASM). In this episode Jim explains exactly what that is, and Wolf asks que…

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2: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and the Blockchain 49:32

6M ago49:32

49:32

Lots of people talk about Cryptocurrency. It's in the news all the time but who really knows what it is? In this episode, Wolf reports his research and together we dig into it and explain what it's all about. Show notes: Take-aways from the episode: Crypto is not really anonymous Crypto is both regulated and taxed (at least here in the US) Legal us…

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1: Out of the Datacenter and into the Cloud 50:53

7M ago50:53

50:53

Have you thought about moving your computing into the Cloud? This episode takes a look at a real-world adventure that Jim went through when moving his computing infrastructure from purchased servers in a rented rack in a datacenter to a VM Running in a cloud service provider using Docker, Linux, managed PostgreSQL. He covers the steps he took to ge…

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0: Passkeys 46:44

7M ago46:44

46:44

There are many scams, some to get your password(s), some just for money. Join us as Wolf tells everything he knows and together we discuss a new way to protect your online accounts. Show notes: Lists of login methods: https://testdriven.io/blog/web-authentication-methods/ https://www.logintc.com/types-of-authentication/ Who implements Passkeys? htt…

Jim McQuillan Podcasts

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Runtime Arguments

Jim McQuillan & Wolf

1
15: POSIXLY_CORRECT - What it means to be POSIX Compliant 1:03:08

1
14: You are NOT Google 56:08

1
13: Terminals: Talking to the machine 1:11:49

1
12: GPUs - Can I, Should I, and How? 1:01:42

1
11: IPv6 - Size really does matter 1:07:41

1
10: Command-Line Superpowers: Connecting Simple Tools for Complex Solutions 1:36:17

1
9: Looking at Data Types From Both Sides 1:26:41

1
8: I’ve Been Using AI to Code for a Year. Here’s What I Learned 1:19:12

1
7: VPNs - Connecting Safely 51:31

1
6: Code Performance - Where does the money go? 1:02:07

1
5: Filesystems - So many choices 1:07:24

1
4: Functional Programming - You're probably already doing it 28:57

1
3: Web Assembly 46:42

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2: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and the Blockchain 49:32

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1: Out of the Datacenter and into the Cloud 50:53

1
0: Passkeys 46:44