
The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source
From Chef to System Initiative (remastered) (Interview)
Aug 21, 2025 · 2 hr 22 min · 205.4 MB
0:00-2:22:30
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The epic show with Adam Jacob has been remastered! Now with full-length video on YouTube. Adam goes solo with Adam Jacob for an epic pod into his journey to get to System Initiative. From SysAdmin at 8 years old, to discovering Linux and working for Mom-and-pop ISPs, to open source changing his life and starting Opscode and building Chef. Buckle up and enjoy.
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Featuring:
Show Notes:
- System Initiative
- Ximian
- Any Given Sunday speech
- I’ll Devour You! (I shall look forward to the fight)
- RIP Ezra Zygmuntowicz
Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
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- 0:00This week on The Changelog
- 0:47Sponsor: Depot
- 3:03Start the show!
- 3:53SysAdmin at 8?!
- 10:51From hobby to career
- 19:13Starting at mom-and-pop ISPs
- 28:14Linux by doing
- 32:24The ISP stack
- 38:13Sponsor: Auth0
- 39:43Open source started the fire
- 46:38From HJK to Opscode/Chef
- 53:35RIP Ezra Zygmuntowicz
- 55:58You must pay me
- 59:38Chef was 100% influenced by Puppet
- 1:03:40Opscode to Chef
- 1:05:38The Billion dollar pitch
- 1:06:38$2.5M to launch
- 1:09:39Chef-as-SaaS (CaS) was too early
- 1:13:45Sponsor: CodeRabbit
- 1:16:25Docker killed the Chef star
- 1:23:05!! You have to decide what fuel to burn
- 1:24:38Good training
- 1:26:29Adam gets emotional
- 1:31:51If it wasn't for...
- 1:35:21"I shall look forward to the fight"
- 1:40:55What matters to you?
- 1:46:40Exit well
- 1:50:31Picture this in your mind
- 1:54:53Initiating System Initiative
- 1:58:34Timing is everything
- 2:00:47Looming Dockers out there?
- 2:04:43The rise of Platform Engineering
- 2:12:01Something's coming this Fall
- 2:20:02We're done. That was epic!
- 2:20:51Closing thoughts and stuff