On The Metal
As a part of starting Oxide Computer Company, Bryan Cantrill and Jess Frazelle decided to also create the podcast that they always wanted. Joined frequently by their boss, Steve Tuck, Bryan and Jess interview incredible guests retelling stories of adventure at the hardware/software interface. It’s unapologetically technical and as Jess says, “the nerdiest podcast on the face of the planet” -- but if you're their kind of nerd, you'll find yourself hanging on every word!
Latest episodes
Dec 23, 2019 • 1h 48min
Tom Lyon
Tom Lyon, active on Twitter and associated with DriveScale, discusses various topics including the Williams tube, Mercury delay lines, Datapoint, AppleTalk, ARCNET, Sun's Network Disk protocol, the Internet Collapse of 1986, Larry Roberts, Telenet, the history of networking technology, nerdy family background, working with the UNIX group, Enrof source code, ATM networking and IP switching, understanding a tweet, the history and approach of Nova Systems, and making servers simpler with DriveScale.
Dec 16, 2019 • 1h 33min
Ron Minnich
Ron Minnich, the 'Godfather of Open Firmware,' discusses the complexities of DRAM training, the concept of quantum computing, testing system limits, the rise and fall of Miradat, the complexity of Broadcom SDK, stateless laptops, boot-not-brick in Open System firmware, UEFI in Linux and ARM systems, and the closing thoughts and credits.
Dec 6, 2019 • 1h 45min
Amir Michael
Amir Michael, growing up in Silicon Valley, shares stories of childhood adventures, early experiences with programming, and the evolution of server hardware in data centers. They discuss UEFI preboot network stack, transitioning to hardware design at Google, working around a DRAM bug, the Open Compute Project, challenges of managing hardware fleets, and the shift to the cloud.
6 snips
Dec 2, 2019 • 1h 29min
Jeff Rothschild
Jeff Rothschild, a guest on the show, shares his experience disassembling MS-DOS on an IBM PC. They discuss topics such as file control blocks, stack switching, 16-bit machine instructions, scolding developers, and the benefits of running on premises. Other topics include optimizing time delay, building a DOS to Unix file server, and the development of a groundbreaking distributed system. Challenges in RAID removal, game traffic optimization, and the importance of data in connecting people are also explored. The podcast delves into disruptive technologies and the guest's track record of being at the forefront of computing shifts.
Nov 15, 2019 • 3min
Teaser
The hosts introduce the podcast 'On the Metal' and their new venture, Oxide Computer Company. They express excitement for upcoming episodes and their love for discussing the hardware software interface.
