Maintainable Software Podcast
maintainable.fm
Maintainable Software Podcast
@maintainable.fm
Curious Conversations on the Art of Software Maintenance. Hosted by Planet Argon's CEO @robbyonrails.
Chris Zetter reminds us that progress in long-lived systems doesn’t come from rewrites, it comes from building momentum through small, intentional changes.

Catch up on this week’s episode of @maintainable.fm with host @robbyonrails.com: maintainable.fm/episodes/chr...
November 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Do you feel like your codebase is one bad deploy away from chaos?
Maintainable Software Podcast brings you calm voices, clear thinking, and real stories from people who’ve been there.
Subscribe and breathe easier. maintainable.fm/newsletter/
November 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Chris Zetter shares why starting small is the key to building confidence in an older codebase, and how small wins create momentum for bigger changes.

Listen on @maintainable.fm with host @robbyonrails.com: maintainable.fm/episodes/chr...
November 18, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Denis Rechkunov shares how automation, alignment, and open feedback loops make consistency last. Hear why maintainability depends more on people than architecture.

Listen on Maintainable Software Podcast with host @Robbyonrails.com: maintainable.fm/episodes/den...
October 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM
It’s less about how you write code and more about creating a team culture that values maintainability.

In this episode, Denis Richkunov explains why consistency should be cultivated, not enforced.

Listen on Maintainable Software Podcast with host @robbyonrails.com: maintainable.fm/episodes/den...
October 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
🔊 Catch up with @Robbyonrails.com as @realntl.bsky.social explains why monoculture can move fast but consensus sustains long-term progress.
🗳️ They discuss how, when original developers leave, new teams must take ownership of architectural decisions.
🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/nat...
October 16, 2025 at 4:05 PM
📻 Tune in and join @robbyonrails.com and @realntl.bsky.social as they discuss why “perfectly maintained software” might be a platonic ideal rather than a realistic target. 🎯
🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/nat...
October 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
🔊 Catch up with @robbyonrails.com & @taylorotwell.bsky.social as they discuss why Laravel was designed to help average developers build apps quickly.
📱He explains why Laravel wasn’t extracted from an app, and how it evolved from real-world usage.
Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/tay...
August 28, 2025 at 4:02 PM
📻 Tune in with @robbyonrails.com as guest @taylorotwell.bsky.social explains how Laravel started as an experiment and became his full-time work within months.
👣 He reflects on Laravel’s early influences, including Ruby on Rails.
🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/tay...
August 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
🔊 Catch up on this episode with @robbyonrails.com and Sara Jackson as they talk about why teams should care about how their app behaves when third-party services go down.
🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/sar...
July 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
📻 Join @robbyonrails.com as Sara Jackson discusses how good documentation can make teams faster, more confident, and less reliant on institutional memory.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: maintainable.fm/episodes/sar...
July 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
📻 Catch up with Robby Russell to hear Joel Chippindale define maintainable software as “easy to keep changing” and share his experience with technical due diligence.
🔉 Listen here! maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...
July 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
📻 Join @robbyonrails.com & Joel Chippindale for this week's episode as they discuss:
🔺 Challenging the “iron triangle” of speed, cost, and quality.
🥅 How shifting business goals can reduce maintainability
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...
July 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
🔉 Catch up with @Robbyonrails.com and guest Melanie Sumner as she shares her views on:
👩‍💻 The trade-offs of being purposeful vs. fast when building design systems.
🖥️ How developer trust is earned through consistency and clear documentation.
🎧 Listen here. maintainable.fm/episodes/mel...
June 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
📻 Tune in to join @robbyonrails.com‬ for this week's episode as Melanie Sumner discusses the importance of aligning Figma APIs with component code to bridge the designer-engineer gap.
🎧 Listen here! maintainable.fm/episodes/mel...
June 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
🎧 Maintainable was just named one of the 30 Best Software Architecture Podcasts by @MillionPodcasts! Thanks to our guests and listeners who continue to engage in meaningful conversations about legacy code and building better software. 🛠️💬
Full list here: buff.ly/3SqmMS4
June 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
📻 Join @Robbyonrails.com and @JoeMasilotti.com as they explore when to take on technical debt and how to manage it. They also break down Hotwire Native and discuss the hidden costs of over-engineered setup scripts.
🔊 Listen here! maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...
May 22, 2025 at 4:05 PM
📻 Tune in with @robbyonrails.com‬ as @joemasilotti.com discusses the importance of setting communication and collaboration expectations and the three questions Joe asks every client to understand how their team works.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...
May 20, 2025 at 4:03 PM
⌚ It's time to catch up with @Robbyonrails.com & hear about how at FlexCar, @Apiguy.dev led a bold replatforming effort from 70+ microservices back to a Ruby on Rails monolith.
📻 Listen to the full conversation here! maintainable.fm/episodes/fre...
🎙️ Hosted by @Robbyonrails.com | @Planetargon.com
April 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
📻 @robbyonrails.com & @apiguy.dev reflect on why psychological safety is as important as code quality.
🖥️ Freedom emphasizes the need to “respect what came before” when maintaining legacy systems.
🎧 Listen here! maintainable.fm/episodes/fre...
🎙️ Hosted by Robby Russell | @planetargon.com
April 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Catch up with this episode as Mercedes Bernard defines well-maintained software as friendly, especially to early-career developers.
🔊 Listen to the full conversation here: maintainable.fm/episodes/mer...
🎙️ Hosted by @Robbyonrails.com | @PlanetArgon.com
April 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Mercedes Bernard discusses how a missed state check flooded their system with no-op jobs and a simple one-line fix cut that load by 75%. Small changes can greatly impact legacy systems.
🔊 Listen ere: buff.ly/Rco35z6
🎙️ Host @Robbyonrails.com | @Planetargon.com
April 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
📻 Catch up with @robbyonrails.com & @evanphx.dev as they discuss:
☑️ How to evaluate if an Open-Source project is “complete” versus “dead.”
👨‍💻 Why companies should invest in junior developers as a long-term benefit.
🎧 Listen here! buff.ly/JcJ606X
April 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
📻 Join @evanphx.dev as he discusses with @robbyonrails.com the importance of confidence and clarity in coding over the pursuit of perfection. Don't miss it.
🎧 Listen here! buff.ly/JcJ606X
April 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Digging into the Maintainable Nails vault: a 2020 bonus episode featuring Duncan Thorpe, one of the planet’s boldest visionaries.

In today’s clip? Ethical young blood. Clone-sourced. Naturally.

🎧 maintainable.fm/episodes/mai...
April 1, 2025 at 12:26 PM