Podcast of the Week #5: The Changelog

Git sounds like an insult, but it’s actually a distributed version control system which was originally invented by Linus Torvalds, the developer of the Linux kernel. GitHub is a phenomenally successful open-source code hosting site build around Git. GitHub is also a community and the unofficial voice of the GitHub community is The Changelog, a blog and weekly podcast which highlights developments in Open Source by monitoring GitHub. The podcast is hosted by Wynn Netherland and Adam Stokoviac who regularly get to speak to the developers whose code is being developed in the open on GitHub*. Rather eccentrically numbered like the releases of open source projects that it documents (episode 0.0.1 was released November 22, 2009, 0.3.2 is the latest episode), this podcast is an essential stethoscope for listening to the pulse of open source development.

If there is a weakness, it is the slight bias towards web development with so-called nosql (pronounced no-sequel) databases, JavaScript frameworks and web design tools taking centre stage. But even so, *The Changelog* has risen quickly to the top of my list of *must listens*. I’ve learned a lot in the 10 months it’s been broadcasting.

*Chris Wanstrath is interviewed about GitHub in [episode 0.1.1](http://thechangelog.com/post/352878673/episode-0-1-0-chris-wanstrath-from-github).

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