Maintainable Software Podcast

A Thursday catch-up from Maintainable: @Bugarela.com on AI-generated tests, formal specifications, and why having more tests doesn’t necessarily mean having more confidence. Catch up here: maintainable.fm/episodes/gab...

The jingle for Maintainable.fm was created on March 24, 2019... with @brigleb.com showing his sampling magic.

@bugarela.com joins @Robbyonrails.com to talk about what happens when 800 tests still aren’t enough to trust your code. AI-generated tests, formal specifications, Quint, and why human judgment still matters. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/gab...

A Thursday catch-up from Maintainable: Matija Šošić on boring software, abstractions, Wasp, and why AI doesn’t make good frameworks obsolete. maintainable.fm/episodes/mat...

New on Maintainable: Matija Šošić joins @Robbyonrails.com to talk boring software, abstractions, Wasp’s evolution, and why AI may make good frameworks more valuable. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/mat...

What does it mean for software to “fit in your head”? José Valim explains why clear boundaries and restraint matter when you’re designing a programming language for decades of evolution, and why those principles still matter in the age of AI. 🎧 maintainable.fm/episodes/jos...

What does maintainability look like when you’re maintaining a programming language? José Valim joins Robby to talk about Elixir, long-term evolution, restraint, extensibility, and how AI is changing software maintenance. maintainable.fm/episodes/jos...

Before you remove the weird thing, find out why it’s there. @JohnAthayde.com talks about understanding how people actually use software before removing workflows, replacing patterns, or reaching for a rewrite. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/joh...

What does maintainability look like from the user’s side? @johnathayde.comjoins @robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk front-end sprawl, design systems, AI-assisted software archaeology, and rewrite vs. refactor. Listen here : maintainable.fm/episodes/joh...

Kristin Isaac argues that the strongest case connects maintenance work to customer impact, revenue, reliability, and risk. Sometimes the best way to advocate for invisible engineering work isn't a better technical argument. It’s a better story. Listen here maintainable.fm/episodes/kri...

Customers don't call it “technical debt.” They say your product is slow, unreliable, or broken. Kristin Isaac joins @RobbyRussell to talk about connecting maintenance work to customer experience, revenue, reliability, and trust. Listen here: buff.ly/T7iUEcb

If you missed this week’s episode, David Hayes joined @Robbyonrails.com to talk about the realities of maintaining software that people depend on. One of the themes that stood out: sometimes “boring” software is exactly what success looks like. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/dav...

New on Maintainable 🎙️ David Hayes of FusionAuth joins @Robbyonrails.com to explore what it takes to maintain software. They talk APIs, technical debt, self-hosted software, customer outcomes, & why “boring” software can sometimes be exactly what you want. Listen: maintainable.fm/episodes/dav...

A lot of us are writing context files for AI agents, but actually, the rules are the same ones we've been ignoring for humans. Daniela Baron and Robby discussed this topic long before agents were reading our repos, so this episode offers practical advice for those keeping humans in mind when coding.

If you missed it this week 👀 Diana Pfeil joined @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk about evals, input drift, human review, and the real maintenance work behind AI systems. Plus, why starting with the simplest model is often the smartest move. 🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/dia...

AI systems can change even when the code doesn’t. This week, Diana Pfeil joins @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk evals, input drift, production monitoring, and why simpler models are often the better place to start. 🎧 Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/dia...

Worth a listen if you've ever inherited a "creative" codebase. 🎧 maintainable.fm/episodes/arp...

In the age of AI-generated code, this vault episode seems timely. Arpit Mohan (Appsmith) on why the best code is written for humans- readability, useful comments, the why behind every decision 🎧 maintainable.fm/episodes/arp...

3 components of really well-maintained software, according to Alan Ridlehoover:

AI is writing more of your code than ever. But who's checking the behavior? From the Vault: Alan Ridlehoover makes the case for behavior-centric testing to keep systems maintainable. Worth a (re)listen right now. maintainable.fm/episodes/ala...

If you're into that sort of thing.md. maintainable.fm/llms.txt

If you missed it 👀 @chriscoyier.net joined @robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk about CodePen, long-term software maintenance, and why maintainability is often a people problem more than a code problem. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/chr...

New episode 👀 @chriscoyier.net joins @Robbyonrails.com to talk about maintaining CodePen over 15+ years, migrating from Rails to Go, and why maintainability is often more about people than code.

Maintainable Podcast Newsletter: - Written for developers, not managers - Robby's commentary on things that don't make it to air - Vault picks (episodes worth revisiting) - New episode alerts with show notes and key links maintainable.fm/newsletter/

"We'll Fix It Later" never works. Let's explore what really needs to happen. The Maintainable newsletter is where Robby keeps the conversation going between episodes. maintainable.fm/newsletter

Catch up with Sally Lait & @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable as they talk about confidence as a signal of maintainability. You can feel it in a codebase immediately. 🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/4vZMQeU

Sally Lait joins @robbyonrail.com on Maintainable to talk about confidence as a signal of maintainability. Not just code quality… but how teams feel working in a system. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/sal...

We talk about long-lived software every episode. Now we want to hear from the teams building it. If you work with Rails, let's hear from you! railsdeveloper.com/survey/ (The Ruby on Rails Community Survey is led by Planet Argon, the producers of Maintainable Podcast.)

Stay sharp. Skip the noise. Join the Maintainable Podcast newsletter. One email when a new episode drops. That's it. maintainable.fm/newsletter/

If you missed it this week 👀 Rein Henrichs joined @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk about maintenance, understanding, and how teams stay aligned. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/rei...

Rein Henrichs joins @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to explore why software maintenance is really about understanding. It’s not just about code, it’s about how teams make sense of complex systems together. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/rei...

If you missed it this week 👀 Russ Olsen joined @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable Software Podcast to talk about maintainability, legacy systems, and why context matters. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/rus...

Russ Olsen joins @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable Software Podcast to explore why maintainability depends on context. It is not about perfect code, it is about code people can understand and work with over time. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/rus...

If you missed it this week 👀, Joel Oliveira joined @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable Software Podcast to talk about predictable codebases, legacy systems, and improving software one small step at a time. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...

Joel Oliveira joins @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable Software Podcast to explore why predictability makes software easier to maintain. Consistent patterns, small refactors, and thoughtful changes help teams keep systems healthy long after the first release. Listen: maintainable.fm/episodes/joe...

Still thinking about my conversation with @kentbeck.com. You're probably burning optionality in your codebase right now and don't even know it. We got into the "feature saw," 🪚 why 100% utilization kills design work, and why tidying code is an ethical practice... not a nice-to-have.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned as a software engineer is that working code is worth maintaining. I was thrilled to be asked to be on the @maintainable.fm podcast with @robbyonrails.com ! If you want to learn more about using #AI to make codebases better, you should check it out!

Two amazing podcasters together on the latest @maintainable.fm ! Check out Robby and @brittanyellich.com ‘s conversation about leveraging AI to help with software maintenance maintainable.fm/episodes/bri...

The conversations that sustain long-lived software rarely make headlines, but they matter deeply to the teams doing the work. Maintainable is where we have those conversations. Thank you to Podranker for naming us in your 15 Best Developers Podcasts of 2026! podranker.com/podcast/main...

What if your app’s history is actually its biggest advantage? Maintainable explores this every week. maintainable.fm/newsletter/

If you missed it, Lucas Roesler joined @Robbyonrails.com on Maintainable to talk about readability, observability, and understanding what your systems are really doing. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/luc...

Lucas Roesler joins Robby to dig into readability, observability, and why fast feedback loops matter so much when maintaining long lived software. If you have ever inherited a system you could not quite understand, this one is for you. Listen here: maintainable.fm/episodes/luc...

If you missed it, @Brittanyellich.com explains why maintaining existing systems often beats rewriting them and how to use coding agents without chaos. Catch up on her conversation with @Robbyonrails.com on @maintainable.fm: maintainable.fm/episodes/bri...

Legacy is not a burden. It’s evidence and history. Something to be proud of. Subscribe for conversations with people who treat software like a long-term commitment. maintainable.fm/newsletter/

@Brittanyellich.com shares lessons from maintaining GitHub’s long-lived systems, why most rewrites stall momentum, and how teams can use coding agents without creating new debt. Listen on Maintainable with @Robbyonrails.com: maintainable.fm/episodes/bri...

If your codebase feels complicated… good. That means it’s lived a life and served real users. But there are ways to simplify and move forward confidently. Maintainable shares stories from teams who’ve been in your shoes. Join us! maintainable.fm/newsletter/

Final @maintainable.fm episode of 2025… I peppered @kentbeck.com with questions, and he basically called out how teams quietly pay for lost optionality. What’s one decision you regret because it narrowed your options? maintainable.fm/episodes/ken...

Your app has a future. And so do you. Every episode brings ideas that helps you reclaim momentum. Subscribe. maintainable.fm/newsletter/