The fastest little steam engine

The fastest little steam engine

Author: Tim Abell June 14, 2021 Duration: 7:08
A little story about two little steam engines racing to the next station. You'll have to listen to find out what this has to do with software.

Tim Abell hosts Software Should be Free, a conversation grounded in the practical realities of technology and entrepreneurship. Joined at times by David Sheardown, the discussions move beyond abstract theory to focus on tangible solutions for the everyday challenges people face with their "computer things." The title isn't just a slogan; it's a starting point for exploring how freedom in software-whether through open-source models, transparent business practices, or simply reclaiming control over your own tools-can lead to more effective and sustainable outcomes. You'll hear candid explorations of the intersection where code meets commerce, dissecting how businesses are built and run in the modern digital landscape. This isn't a lecture series; it's a problem-solving session where complex ideas in technology and business are broken down into actionable insights. The podcast actively invites listener participation, encouraging you to send in your own questions and dilemmas via voice message to shape the dialogue. Tune in for thoughtful, unscripted conversations that cut through the hype, offering a pragmatic perspective on creating and using technology that genuinely works for you.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 32

Software Should be Free
Podcast Episodes
Xmas 2025 - open source and client project updates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:12
Inspired by https://www.justfivemins.com/p/episode-146-christmas-day-2025-editionhappy xmas!FOSS projects this year of 2025:- https://github.com/timabell/disk-hog-backup- https://github.com/timabell/gitopolis- https://gi…
AI coding tool landscape in July 2025 with Tim + David [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:25
# SummaryIn this conversation, Tim Abell and David Sheardown explore the challenges and innovations in productivity tools and AI coding assistants and the overwhelming landscape of AI tools available for software develop…
Practical AI coding - lessons learned - Jim+Tim [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:11
Tim & Jim discuss what they've learned trying to use AI tools such as github, gpt, windsurf, claude etc to write code in small and large projects, open and closed source.Jim: luxagen.comRotKrakenrkdVibe coding obama meme…
Why is reading bad code so painful?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:12
From the blog - https://0x5.uk/2025/01/31/why-is-reading-bad-code-so-painful/David's just-five-mins podcast - https://www.justfivemins.com/ps, when I said "Increased heart attack" I meant to say "Increased heart rate" 🤕…
Leaders and teams for successful software projects [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:47
A piece on leadership and teams needed to create great software projects and overcome the organisational immune system, all without any fan noise, and an intro from Mark.Unicorn project bookDevOps handbook (hint, DevOps…
Confident Contracting with Neil Millard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:57:45
A flowing discussion with Neil about the life of a contractor, before during and after, with some important mental health lessons hard learned along the way. Neil shares advice for people at every stage in the contractin…
Guest Just-5-Mins on outside-in-testing (cross-post) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:36
David kindly had me on as a guest on his wonderful "just 5 mins" show to talk a bit more about outside-in-testing and answer some of his questions after my last episode on this show on the matter.- Just Five Mins! Episod…
The importance of fully automated outside-in tests [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:45
A follow up to my blog post on test automation - with an angle that I think is missing in so much of the software industry - outside in fully automated tests from the perspective of the user is THE most important thing -…
Writing the sln-items-sync dotnet tool [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:07
timwise.co.uk/2024/01/13/new-tool-sln-items-sync-for-visual-studio-solution-folders/justfivemins.com (David's podcast)buttondown.emailtimwise.co.uk/subscribe