Three Rubyists having conversations and interviewing others about Ruby and web development..
In this episode, Blue Ridge Ruby organizers Jeremy Smith and Joe Peck join Andrew, Chris, and David to talk about the conference returning in 2026. They explain why it’s different (single-track, long breaks, and memorable community activities), what they’ve learned from running it, and how folks can help (speaking, sponsoring, and attending). The discussion also highlights the importance of community and in-person interactions in the tech industry, offering insights into how these events support professional growth and long-term sustainability in software development. Hit download now to hear more!
In this episode, Chris, Andrew, and David dive into details about refactoring with SQL, updates on new Ruby versions, and share their views on various developer tools including Mise, Overmind, and Foreman. They also touch on standardizing tools within their teams, the benefits of using Mise for Postgres, and the efficiency of task scripts. The conversation also covers encoding issues, Basecamp Fizzy SSFR protection, and rich-text editors like Lexxy and its application in Basecamp. Additionally, there's a light-hearted discussion on the speculative future of AI and Neuralink. Hit download now to hear more!
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In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris, Andrew, and David have conversations from New Year's resolutions and monitor specifications, to the sustainability challenges of open source projects like Tailwind CSS. They discuss the pros and cons of various hardware, upgrading to Ruby 4.0, recent issues in software projects, and the evolving landscape of AI's impact on productivity tools. They also touch on gaming experiences with Arc Raiders and the never-ending monitor hunt. Hit download now to hear more!
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In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris, Andrew, and David humorously discuss the rapid increase of 'wrapped' features in various apps, recount personal experiences with food apps, and then dive into their favorite conference moments of the year. They also explore the concept of UI affordances and its importance in web design and give a preview of upcoming conferences in 2026, and a brief discussion on modern CSS and JavaScript elements. Hit download now to hear much more!
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Chris, Andrew, and David are back together, and the conversation starts out with TV talk, Fallout hype, why some shows overstay their welcome (Prison Break), and the “season one magic” problem (Reacher). Then there’s a big shoutout to Marco’s Rails Luminary win, and a deep dive into AI rabbit holes: self-hosting LLMs, Mac minis, and the looming reality of both token costs and RAM shortages. They discuss the Ruby releases (3.4.8 + Ruby 4.0 preview3), highlighting practical fixes, previewing features like Ruby:: Box, new syntax tweaks, and core classes updates they’re excited about. Hit download now!
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In this episode, Chris and David Hill catch up on wild winter temperature swings, then dive into what Chris has been refactoring in Jumpstart to reduce merge pain, cut dependencies, and make upgrades smoother. The conversation branches into AI-assisted coding pitfalls and where AI shines, new web security headers that could simplify CSRF handling, and a promising new “old school Heroku on steroids” platform from Evan Phoenix called Miren, plus a few Hatchbox deployment learnings along the way. Hit download now to hear more!
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Chris and Andrew kick things off with some weather whiplash and snowblower talk before introducing a new guest on the show, long-time Rubyist David Hill. They chat about fast food and favorite shows, David’s accidental path into Ruby and Rails, and various projects he’s worked on, including an AED management application. The discussion also touches on the new open-source release of Basecamp's Kanban board, Fizzy, and some innovative CSS techniques used in the project. The conversation wraps up with upcoming Ruby conferences in 2026 and how Claude's AI assistance is helping with coding tasks. Hit download now to hear more!
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Andrew kicks off at 8 a.m. with six Docker containers running, and he and Chris dive into what modern Rails development looks like inside dev containers—covering Rails’ own images and features, using Mise and Playwright instead of Selenium, and why OrbStack has replaced Docker Desktop on their Macs. They talk through the trade-offs of running services in containers, the quirks of Kamal’s new local registry, and how Chris is turning all of this into a practical SaaS building series that shows real-world deployment and scaling with tools like JudoScale. Along the way, they weave in life updates about new babies, daycare costs, and even the power needs of AI data centers and nuclear energy. Press download now to hear more!
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Andrew returns from SF Ruby with a lot more than conference swag! He brings a clear snapshot of where Ruby, Rails, and AI are headed right now. In this episode, he and Chris walk through the most impactful talks from SF Ruby, share highlights of engaging discussions with other developers and friends, reminisces about nostalgic tech items, and explores insightful conversations on the future of Rails, startup culture, AI's impact on programming, developer anxiety, and they share product ideas from Chris new SaaS series on GoRails to Andrew’s concept for a serious GitHub Actions monitoring tool. Hit download now to hear more!
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In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew have a lively conversation with Brendan Buckingham and Ryan Frisch from the Rails Business Podcast. They discuss their experiences and journeys with Ruby on Rails, starting from their early encounters with the technology to hosting a specialized Rails podcast. Critical technical topics are covered, including managing Stripe API data integrity, upgrading Rails applications, and using modern JavaScript tools like Turbo Frames and Turbo Streams. Brendan and Ryan also share how and why they started the Rails Business Podcast, the power of small community events, and how following your own frustrations often leads to the best product ideas. Hit download now to hear more!
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In this episode, guest Nate Berkopec joins Chris and Andrew to discuss the current state and cultural controversies surrounding Ruby Gems, Bundler, and open-source projects in general. The conversation dives into the split within the Ruby community, the complexities of maintaining key projects, and the challenges of funding and sustaining open-source work. Nate shares his experiences with Puma and his philosophy on community-driven contributions and project ownership. The episode also explores broader issues such as the feasibility of getting paid for open-source work, the role of corporate sponsorship, and the need for more inclusive participation in maintaining and evolving open-source software. Hit download now to hear more!
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