The Real Python Podcast Supporting the Python Package Index
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Jul 25, 2025 Maria Ashna, the inaugural PyPI Support Specialist at the Python Software Foundation, shares insights from her journey in supporting the Python Package Index. She discusses tackling account recovery backlogs and the complexities of PEP 541 requests. Maria emphasizes the importance of curiosity and willing to ask questions within the programming community. Highlighting her creative background, she challenges stereotypes about who can contribute to tech, advocating for diversity and inclusivity in programming. Her passion shines through as she prepares for upcoming talks at PyCon and EuroPython.
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Maria's Diverse Background
- Maria Ashna grew up loving both arts and sciences, influenced by her dad, a computer engineer, and her brother's cerebral palsy.
- She combined neuroscience and theater in college and developed her interest in programming through research and grad school.
Power of Saying I Don’t Know
- Saying "I don't know" opens doors to discovery and problem-solving instead of being a failure.
- Encouraging curiosity and continuous questioning drive progress in open source and tech support.
Tackling PEP 541 Backlog
- The PEP 541 backlog was over a year old, dealing with abandoned or name dispute packages.
- Maria took on the backlog and improved triage time from over a year to about a week.