Hello, Maintainable Software Podcast.
Tags: podcast, technicaldebt, programming
Published: 2019-04-25 13:33:15

---
title: Hello, Maintainable Software Podcast.
published: true
description: Launching a new podcast to speak with seasoned practitioners in our industry who have helped teams work past the problems associated with technical debt and legacy code.
canonical_url: https://medium.com/planet-argon-tenets/hello-maintainable-software-podcast-90c97ec4236
tags: #podcast #technicaldebt #programming
---

First off, do we _really_ need - another - podcast about software development?

For a number of years, I've been kicking around the idea of starting a podcast to talk with people about software but really felt like it's a saturated market. I kept telling myself that I wouldn't pursue anything that was focused on a specific technology choice (i.e., Robby on Rails almost graduated to be a podcast several times over the last 15 years?). I also have very little interest in talking about _"what's shiny/new/hot in our industry"_, either.

There are plenty of podcasts for that.

Last year, I found myself thinking a lot more about what starts to happen to software after it's been through many different iterations, phases, engineering teams, and pivots. I'm really not an advocate of the BIG REWRITE and think that developers far too often find themselves starting to dread working on their code bases.

As a result, momentum slows down. Team's get discouraged. People quit. New people get hired. More people complain about the state of the code base. More time passes…and the problems have become far more problematic than they ever needed to.

Does this sound remotely familiar?

I'll be honest. You're not alone.

A lot of us have felt this. In many scenarios, we've felt that the only way out of the problem is to quit and find somewhere with a better code base to work on.
However, there are tons of scenarios where the company has good intentions but their trajectory has compromised their technology decisions…a few too many times. What they really need is an advocate - from within - to help them start making positive steps to their ideal future.

I want to talk about ["The Messy Middle"](https://www.amazon.com/Messy-Middle-Finding-Through-Hardest/dp/0735218072) phases of software development. (btw, a great book by Scott Belsky). This is why the team at [Planet Argon](https://www.planetargon.com/) has helped me launch the [Maintainable Software Podcast](https://maintainable.fm/).

On the podcast, I'll be speaking with seasoned veterans of our industry…who have seen some 💩 over the years and have been able to help organizations push through the problems often associated with technical debt and legacy code.

The first two episodes are now published for your listening pleasure.

On this first episode, I speak with Anna Filina about what technical debt is and how we don't need to ask for permission to adopt better development processes.

{% spotify spotify:episode:76rx9dq6RCn2wKbmpq1hiT %}

On the second episode, I speak with James Smith about ways to measure the reliability and technical debt of an application's code base.

{% spotify spotify:episode:2fqLDdDWEYMjmgXbgi0yTU %}


You can learn more at [https://maintainable.fm/](https://maintainable.fm/)



## FAQs

### Q. How often will you be publishing?

A. I'm aiming for weekly releases (for half of the year… maybe a spring + autumn schedule).

### Q. Where can I subscribe to Maintainable?

A. Great question! Here are a few places

- [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ah6xxZ04VQBqjBB5ZU0Ll?si=v2PQD8YiRhuh0kX8bFWNcg)
- [Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1459893010/maintainable)
- [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintainable/id1459893010)
- [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/maintainable)
- [via RSS](https://www.maintainable.fm/)

### Q. What if I have some great stories to share?

A. If you think you'd make a good guest for the podcast, do get in touch with me via robby@maintainable.fm to pitch a topic or three.

### Q. How can I help promote Maintainable?

A. Another great question, you ask the best ones!

You could share links on social media, follow Maintainable on Twitter, re-tweet links to episodes you find value in, post an honest review on Apple/iTunes, etc.