The IT Guy Show

What happens when two nerds who love the community side of tech get together? A whole lot of stories, laughs, and insights. In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with his coworker Chris DeMars to talk about Developer Relations, technical advocacy, and what it really takes to support and empower devs in today’s fast-moving ecosystem. From browser wars to burnout, open source to on-stage nerves, it’s a real look at what fuels a career in DevRel, and how to avoid fizzling out. Oh, and maybe a few hot takes along the way. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Chris DeMars: https://chrisdemars.net/ DevRel: https://devrel.co/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Introduction 01:32 Meet Chris DeMars 05:59 What is DevRel? 13:23 What makes a great DA? 24:04 Empathy in Tech 40:04 Closing thoughts Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Marah Bashir on Unsplash Special Guest: Chris DeMars.

The role of the system administrator has changed a lot in the last couple decades, but some of us are still proudly flying the flag. Eric sits down with longtime friend Nate Lager to talk about his career journey, lessons learned from the trenches, and what still excites him about tech today. We’ll cover everything from burnout to bash scripts, automation to authenticity. Whether you’re a new sysadmin, a grizzled graybeard, or someone who just loves nerding out about Linux and infrastructure—you’ll feel right at home. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Connect with Nate: https://social.undrground.org/@gangrif https://www.linkedin.com/in/ironsysadmin/ Iron SysAdmin Podcast https://www.ironsysadmin.com https://www.youtube.com/@ironsysadmin SWB Crawler https://www.swbcrawler.com https://www.youtube.com/swbcrawler Hetzner Hosting https://www.hetzner.com/ BootC: Getting Started with Bootable Containers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf1xqjLeA9M Security: Configuring Sudo Access | Into the Terminal 62 https://www.youtube.com/live/rEdBkgKs4NA?si=UV43zA_Kss86hoia Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:14 Introduction 01:36 Nate Lager 06:38 Starting in Technology 18:04 Technology Career 31:38 Moving to Red Hat 44:55 Jeep Guy 50:03 Lightning Round 55:53 Nate’s Advice 01:08:32 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Thomas Jensen on Unsplash Special Guest: Nate Lager.

Before DevOps, SRE, and the cloud were all the rage, there were sysadmins—tech generalists who kept the lights on, often with duct tape, bash scripts, and caffine. In this solo episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric shares how he broke into the world of system administration, from his earliest tech gigs to becoming the go-to Linux guy. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons learned, tools loved (and hated), and how the role of a sysadmin has evolved. Whether you're new to IT or just nostalgic for the days of cron, this one’s for you. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Introduction 01:26 The Early Days 10:55 Learning the Ropes 18:29 Shifting Roles 27:25 My Advice 32:41 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by David Schultz on Unsplash

From AI to compliance, modernization to mission-critical infrastructure, working in the public sector versus government tech can look similar on the surface… but the reality is often worlds apart. In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric welcomes Joel Krooswyk, a former colleague at GitLab and a seasoned technical leader navigating a major life shift. Together, they unpack the differences between public sector and government work, from regulations and red tape to values, velocity, and what “transformation” really means when the stakes are national. Whether you’re a tech pro curious about working with the government or just someone watching the blurred lines between public, private, and hybrid tech work—this episode offers clarity, stories, and inspiration for navigating the spaces in between. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Joel Krooswyk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelrkrooswyk/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Welcome 01:33 Joel Krooswyk 02:57 What is Public Sector 13:08 IT in PubSec 16:49 AI’s Evolving Role 33:40 Changing Technology Landscape 39:35 Career Shifts 50:09 Closing Thoughts 54:00 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Elijah Mears on Unsplash Special Guest: Joel Krooswyk.

For many Linux users, configuration means dotfiles, bash scripts, and duct tape. But what if your entire system, from packages to users to services could be described, versioned, and rolled back like code? In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Aaron Honeycutt to demystify NixOS, the declarative, reproducible Linux distribution that’s changing how people think about system configuration. We’ll cover what makes NixOS different, how to get started without pulling your hair out, and how this distro fits into modern DevOps, home lab, and desktop workflows. If you’ve ever heard the term “declarative infrastructure” and wondered what it actually looks like in practice, this is your chance to find out. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Connect with Aaron: https://aaron.honeycutt.family Inside a NixOS Homelab: Real-World Walkthrough with Aaron Honeycutt https://youtu.be/pQTiucyjIjc NixOS: https://nixos.org NixOS Discord: https://discord.com/invite/RbvHtGa Medium - What is Nix / NixOS: https://medium.com/@Erik_Krieg/what-is-nix-nixos-aab5610f0d7f Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:15 Welcome 01:05 Aaron Honeycutt 02:23 What is NixOS 04:14 How is it different? 06:20 What’s the learning curve? 12:20 Contributing to NixOS 16:59 The Future 23:38 Outro Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Malachi Brooks on Unsplash

GitOps can feel like buzzword soup, especially for seasoned Linux admins who’ve spent years mastering bash, cron, and config files. But what if it’s not as scary—or as different—as it sounds? In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Christian Hernandez, a longtime Linux administrator who “accidentally” became a Kubernetes and GitOps expert. Together, they break down what GitOps really is, how it compares to traditional sysadmin practices, and how Linux professionals can embrace this powerful approach to infrastructure automation without throwing away their shell scripts. Whether you're Git-curious or deep in YAML fatigue, this conversation will give you practical context, real talk, and tips for making GitOps part of your day-to-day toolkit. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me: https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Connect with Christian: https://chernand.io/ Akuiti: https://akuity.io Buy Christian’s book! https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/argo-cd-up/9781098141998 OpenGitOps: https://opengitops.dev/ Kubernetes Kind: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Welcome 01:31 Christian Hernandez 04:14 What is GitOps? 12:29 GitOps Journey 18:40 Mindset Shifts 24:30 Why the hesitation? 30:02 Tools to Learn 40:04 Lightning Round 44:40 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on Unsplash Special Guest: Christian Hernandez.

What if your desktop, tablet, and phone all spoke the same open-source language? Meet Lomiri — a fast, lightweight, and flexible user interface originally developed for Ubuntu Touch, and now maintained by the UBports community. In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Erik Mols from the Lomiri project to unpack what Lomiri is, where it came from, and how it’s carving out a unique niche in the Linux ecosystem. Whether you’re into convergence, lightweight desktops, or just love a good underdog story in tech, you’ll want to tune in. We’ll cover the project’s history, current state, and future plans, as well as why developers and users alike should be paying more attention to alternative shells like Lomiri in a GNOME/KDE-dominated world. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Erik Mols: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-mols-63b3285 OpenSource Science: https://os-sci.com/ Lomiri: https://lomiri.com Pine64: https://pine64.org/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream start 00:15 Welcome 02:40 Erik and Erics 04:42 Erik Mols 06:21 What is Lomiri? 11:16 The Convergence Dream 23:30 Under the Hood 25:14 Open Source Education 38:10 Lomiri Bug Bounty 47:06 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Clint Patterson on Unsplash Special Guest: Erik Mols.

After a few months away from the mic, I’m back—and rebooting Eric the IT Guy not just as a brand, but as a mission. In this short update, I share what I’ve been up to since leaving Red Hat, why I’m launching into a new season of my career, and what I’m hoping for next. Whether you’ve followed my journey through Linux, open source, or DevOps content creation—this is a personal, honest reset point. 📺 Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/3rtKr-pW-7Q 📬 Connect or hire me: https://itguyeric.com Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org

We all seem to have this vision of “arriving” at some tech paradise where everything “just works”. After 17 years in IT, I’d say it's safe to say that will never happen. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for better. Teams that embrace the chaos can make huge strides towards improving their environment. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Nathen Harvey: https://linktr.ee/nathenharvey Dora: https://dora.dev/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:48 Welcome 01:27 Meet Nathen 04:56 What is DORA? 09:03 What is Continuous Learning? 15:27 Organizational Continuous Learning 19:21 Improving via Automation 25:40 Starting your journey 41:11 Learning Resources 46:47 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Mason Wildfang on Unsplash MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guest: Nathen Harvey.

Stress and burnout come for all of us at one time or another. You may not even realize that is what is going on. Join Eric as he sits down with Jennifer and Bryan Horton, owners of Dull Made Daring, and learn the warning signs, recovery methods, and how to slash your anxiety away, with a sword, yeah, a literal sword! Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Dull Made Daring https://www.dullmadedaring.com/eric Gaming…unintentional professional development goldmine https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennifer-horton-lcsw-97068647gaming-thats-my-unintentional-professional-activity-7229531726102847489-7K18?utmsource=share&utmmedium=memberdesktop Chapters: 00:00 Stream start 00:48 Welcome 01:26 Introductions 04:10 Relational dynamics 09:38 Need for change 21:26 Gaming and personality 30:33 Dull Made Daring 45:29 Signs of burnout 01:00:16 Closing thoughts 01:05:51 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guests: Bryan Horton and Jennifer Horton.

In my days as a Systems Administrator, there weren’t any “non-production” environments. It was all about keeping all the systems running, all the time, even Dev for the developers. Here comes Ephemeral Environments, a concept to quickly build and test disposable systems to make building and testing easier for the entire enterprise. Welcome to The IT Guy Podcast, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Natalie Lunbeck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-lunbeck-477b45114/ DevOpsDays KC 2024 - Natalie Lunbeck - Unblocking Your CI/CD With Ephemeral Environments https://youtu.be/HWcQ_qUDAH4?si=akoMp3iNhvtjdPdF DevOps Days https://devopsdays.org/ Shipyard https://shipyard.build/ Ephemeral Environments.io https://ephemeralenvironments.io/ http://github.com/ephemeralenvironments/ephemeralenvironments Minimum Viable CD https://minimumcd.org Dora.Dev https://dora.dev Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:57 Welcome 02:16 DevOps Days 04:47 Meet Natalie 08:44 Ephemeral Environments Defined 14:49 What are the benefits? 19:30 DORA Metrics 26:04 Uber SLATE 30:43 EphemeralEnvironments.io 33:26 Minimal Viable CD 40:31 Learn more 45:19 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Joey Kyber on Unsplash MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.

Eric the IT Guy Hendricks interviews Laura Santamaria, a Developer Advocate at Dell Technologies, about her experience with DevOps and how to effectively implement it within organizations. She emphasizes the importance of prioritizing people over processes and tools, and shares insights on how to drive cultural change as an individual contributor. Welcome to The IT Guy Podcast, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Laura Santamaria: https://linktr.ee/nimbinatus DevOps Days: https://devopsdays.org/ DevOpsDays KC 2024 - Laura Santamaria - Understanding DevOps in Todays World https://youtu.be/cUodBMlVbJ4?si=CV5q3tPCF1BFLQRp The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win https://a.co/d/30J5nzM Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:50 Welcome 01:49 Introduction 03:29 Meet Laura 06:48 Safe Failure? 11:47 Affecting Change 18:12 Next Step 22:35 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/person-holding-pencil-near-laptop-computer-5fNmWej4tAA MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guest: Laura Santamaria.

In this interview, Eric the IT Guy Hendricks explores the world of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) with Budha, a Developer Advocate at Tyk, an API management platform. The discussion covers the fundamentals of APIs, their growing importance in modern applications, the role of API gateways in managing and securing APIs, and considerations for building production-ready APIs. Welcome to The IT Guy Podcast, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Budhaditya Bhattacharya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/budha-b/ Tyk: https://tyk.io/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream start 00:50 Welcome 02:34 Budhaditya Bhattacharya 03:04 Application Programming Interface (APIs) 05:51 Learning more about APIs 08:21 Eric's use of APIs 14:36 API Gateways 18:34 Closing thoughts 20:13 Wrap up Photo by Walkator on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/text-klMii3cR9iI Special Guest: Budha Bhattacharya.

In this interview, the host Eric provides a detailed introduction to his guest JJ Asgar from IBM, who is deeply involved with the open-source AI project called InstructLab. JJ passionately discusses the importance of open and transparent AI development for societal benefit. He explains the distinction between true AI and the current language models, and emphasizes the need for open data and models to counteract biases and ensure ethical AI advancement for the greater good. Welcome to The IT Guy Podcast, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric JJ Asghar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjasghar Hugging Face - https://huggingface.co/ Instruct Lab on Hugging Face https://huggingface.co/instructlab IBM’s Granite Model https://huggingface.co/ibm-granite What is InstructLab? https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/ai/what-is-instructlab Chapters 00:00 Stream start 00:50 Welcome 01:40 Introduction 03:51 Meet JJ 04:47 What is AI? 08:09 What is an LLM? 09:42 Open Source AI 15:50 Instruct Lab 23:26 The Real Reality 28:05 The IT Community 31:15 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by @steve_j on Unsplash MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guest: JJ Asghar.

Are you an individual contributor looking to convince your boss its time to buy a product or pursue a new project? How do you structure your proposal? How do you calculate ROI? In this episode, I’ll discuss these concepts and more with JT Perry from VMware! Welcome to The IT Guy Podcast, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric JT Perry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtperry/ DevOpsDays KC 2024 - JT Perry - Platform ROI: Why should your company invest? https://youtu.be/0IQp5xNidvo?si=50YIWshTqDGEo8c9 Chapters: 00:00 Stream start 00:50 Welcome 04:28 Meet JT Perry 08:15 Identifying a Need 13:45 Building the request 22:05 Return on Investment (ROI) 30:55 CapEx vs OpEx 34:36 Prove Your Assumptions 40:15 Applying ROI to Careers 44:08 Closing thoughts Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guest: JT Perry.

In this interview, Eric the IT Guy Hendricks kicks off his new show, "The IT Guy Show," by inviting Karl Abbot, a product manager at Element, to discuss the Matrix protocol, its open-source nature, and its decentralized communications platform. The Office of the IT Guy is a show published to celebrate the people and talk about the technology that is changing our world! Our mission is to share our love for open source and build a stronger community. Eric's Website https://itguyeric.com YouTube Channel https://itguyeric.com/youtube Sponsor the IT Guy https://patreon.com/itguyeric Free Hive Agency: https://freehive.com Element: https://element.io Matrix: https://matrix.org Karl Abbott (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-abbott/ Karl on Matrix: @kabbott:matrix.org XKCD on Standards: https://xkcd.com/927 Get Started with Element: https://itguyeric.com/beginners-guide-how-to-get-started-with-element-matrix/ Finally Time to Ditch Email: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/finally-time-ditch-e-mail-karl-abbott/ Are We Peer2Peer Yet? https://arewep2pyet.com/ Chapters 00:00 Countdown 00:50 Welcome to the Office 03:24 Meet Karl Abbott 17:42 What's different about Matrix 24:44 Matrix Bridges 32:34 Element client 44:22 Location sharing, video, and more 01:00:19 Closing Thoughts Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency MoodMode. “Beautiful Acoustic Country Track.” Story Blocks, Songtrust, https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/beautiful-acoustic-country-trailer-bboydaqyvkhf01l87.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022. Special Guest: Karl Abbott.

The Office of the IT Guy is a show published to celebrate the people and talk about the technology that is changing our world! Our mission is to share our love for open source and build a stronger community. Eric's Website - https://itguyeric.com