Two's Complement

The Rabbit Was Always There May 25, 2026 0:43:59 Ben asks what happens when you curl google.com, and Matt peels back HTTP until the rabbit turns out to have been in the hat all along. Then a USB hub stages a dramatic intervention.

Speed of Thought Apr 11, 2026 0:49:29 Ben has stopped talking to Claude directly. Matt hasn't opened his editor in days. They try to work out whether this is fun, programming, or a very expensive slot machine.

Measure Twice, Optimize Once Mar 9, 2026 0:46:01 Ben asks a simple question about performance and Matt talks for 46 minutes. The one true use case for linked lists is revealed, and a part three is threatened.

How Fast Is Fast? Feb 14, 2026 0:45:08 Ben interviews Matt with a deceptively simple question: make my program go fast. 44 minutes later, robot dogs are falling over, Grace Hopper's wire makes an appearance, and Matt still hasn't gotten the job.

Gaming on Linux Jan 10, 2026 0:27:22 Ben wipes his PC over Thanksgiving and installs Ubuntu for gaming. Matt recalls the dark days of himem.sys and IRQ conflicts. The universe was created last Thursday, and someone gets a hangover.

Factorio Dec 6, 2025 0:24:12 Ben's new TCP backpressure explanation: conveyor belts full. Matt zooms out and mistakes his factory for a Pentium 2. Ben plans to switch to Linux gaming; Matt's start bar keeps popping up and he's had it.

Vibe Coding and Robot Teammates Nov 13, 2025 0:42:37 Ben worries replacing juniors with LLMs creates a future hiring crisis - who'll train the robot-wranglers? Matt blames COVID brain fog, then proves it by botching NP-completeness. Capitalism is bad at escaping local minima.

Conference Talks: Some Assembly Required Oct 12, 2025 0:43:08 Matt returns from CppCon with a cold, three talks, and a keynote title Reddit hates. Ben immediately declares Reddit dumb. The hosts discuss C++ reflection, the unforgivable renaming of the Sears Tower, and why conference attendees should stand like Pac-Man.

Running Programs Sep 12, 2025 0:41:18 Matt and Ben discuss running in production; from running processes in screen to battling systemd configuration files. Ben sketches out daemonization rituals while Matt channels Tolkien to explain process hierarchies. Our hosts discover that Ansible playbooks are just bash scripts with better PR, and everyone still Googles journalctl syntax.

Squashing Compilers Aug 10, 2025 0:42:24 Matt uses you as his therapist to vent about three days fighting systemd and boot time. Ben patiently listens while Matt explains why mounting things shouldn't consume 200% CPU. AWS sponsorship news provides a silver lining.

The Benefits of Experience Jul 18, 2025 0:33:20 Matt and Ben explore how experience lets you run across water instead of drowning in options. Ben explains why he doesn't need a life preserver when building software. Matt retrofits good practices into Compiler Explorer while lamenting decisions from 10 years ago.

Is Football Possible Anymore? Jun 12, 2025 0:20:24 Ben recounts his 2007 startup building a database chatbot (before LLMs were cool). Matt tries their methods live with Claude. Ben foolishly uses his phone as a microphone stand.

C++ and Rust: Different Tools for the Job May 9, 2025 0:30:58 Matt and Ben discuss programming language debates sparked by an old talk that went viral. They explore how Matt's C++ safety tips convinced someone to switch to Rust instead. Matt stays up all night trying four different implementations to prove a point, then loses. Ben introduces the concept of "carpet bubbles" in language design. Matt lists all the C++ features that begin with C, while Ben quest

Observable Metrics Apr 10, 2025 0:39:35 Matt and Ben explore the intersection of testing, metrics, and observability in performance-critical code. They debate push vs pull metric systems, share war stories from financial trading systems, and ponder what to do when your program can't tell anyone it's in trouble.

Pair Programming with HAL? Mar 16, 2025 0:47:27 Matt and Ben explore the new world of AI-assisted coding: is it like pairing with junior developer? Matt gets the recording working the second time, Ben worries about what happens when your business depends on code you don't understand.

Passing Messages Feb 14, 2025 0:58:34 Ben and Matt wade into the deep waters of messaging systems, get utterly lost in time synchronization rabbit holes, and discover their new podcast tagline: "We make mistakes so you don't have to." Matt celebrates by getting his car stuck where cars shouldn't go.

Getting CRUFTy Jan 12, 2025 0:35:14 Ben unveils his latest acronym-based software discussion framework while Matt patiently waits for the punchline. Our hosts explore alternatives to technical debt, debate the value of naming things, and Matt questions his ability to remember five letters for more than fourteen minutes. Ben has written a blog post going into more detail since the recording.

Are We Remotely Productive? Dec 14, 2024 0:26:19 Matt and Ben unpack the mysteries of remote work and programmer productivity, with a side of two's complement philosophy. Featuring unexpected insights, hallway chat nostalgia, and the radical notion that writing less code might actually be winning.

Are Dirty Hands Right? Nov 23, 2024 0:31:14 Matt and Ben preach the gospel of "dirty hands are right," then spend 30 minutes explaining why that's completely wrong unless you're the right person, with the right skills, at the right time, working on the right thing. Also, don't cook chicken with dirty hands.

Sequence Locks Oct 26, 2024 0:48:49 Matt talks about a work thing, called a sequence lock. Ben suggests some dumb ideas about that work thing. Then our hosts discuss how to starve a reader, anger the Gods of Volatility, and invoke Sylvester Stallone.

The Joy of Programming Sep 11, 2024 0:39:26 Matt and Ben realize they love their jobs, and decide to keep doing them. Flow state, to the point where it makes people uncomfortable, is discussed. Also toilet humor. Ben makes an unintentional Sesame Street reference. Matt recalls his level 70 cleric.

Deploy First Development Aug 17, 2024 0:40:35 Our hosts congratulate themselves on finally having decent microphones. Matt quizzes Ben on his "Deploy First" approach to software development. Ben explains branch-based deployment environments. He assures Matt he's a mortal. Matt promises to be less rubbish.

Programming Under Pressure Jul 21, 2024 0:46:50 Ben and Matt come up with a podcast on the spot, which they do every month but also this month too. Our hosts discuss on-call rotations, fighting (virtual) fires, and working to meet deadlines at the mercy of the world. Ben says the letter 'P' a lot. Matt's brain freezes, but he's OK.

Avoiding Abandonware Jun 17, 2024 0:40:11 Matt and Ben explore the unfortunate death and rebirth pattern of software systems. Ben botches a quote from Bjarne Stroustrup, and then explains why you can't go back in time and kill Hitler. Matt exhibits all the bad things when describing a serialization library.

Is Optimization Refactoring? May 15, 2024 0:37:08 In flagrant violation of Betteridge's Law, Ben and Matt consider the question 'Is Optimization Refactoring?' and conclude that the answer is 'probably'. Ben warns our listener about overspecifying in tests. Matt is horrified by his own assumption that other people's code works.

The Future of Compiler Explorer Apr 17, 2024 0:26:32 Matt ponders the future of his accidentally eponymous hobby project. Ben offers thoughtful consideration while waiting for the right opportunity to crack a joke. No lawyers were harmed in the making of this podcast.

Strong ARM Mar 18, 2024 0:41:54 Ben and Matt discuss their transition to using ARM-based Apple Silicon laptops for their day jobs. Ben rewrites Bash into Java because it makes his tests run faster. Matt tries to teach VSCode something and winds up writing JSON instead.

make podcast Feb 17, 2024 0:37:21 Matt and Ben describe how to build a developer automation interface with Make, a ubiquitous build tool that can be conveniently inflicted on other people. Ben explains a great way to test shell scripts that doesn't work. Matt deletes libbob3.so and then regrets it.

Technical Debts Jan 15, 2024 0:46:27 Ben and Matt discuss the original definition of technical debt a metaphor created by Ward Cunningham to explain why software designs that were correct when created now need to be changed. Ben invents a new verb, 'to soapbox' and then demonstrates its practical use. Matt reads timestamps in the future.

Copypasta Dec 19, 2023 0:40:53 Matt and Ben talk about when it's OK to copy and paste code. Matt explains how helpful compilers take the time-saving step of copying and pasting code for you, saving you precious microseconds. Ben recalls things from the 80s, like word processors and Indiana Jones.

Iter-Mental Development Nov 19, 2023 0:27:23 Ben and Matt compare iterative and incremental approaches to software development. To everyone's astonishment, they turn out to be different. Then they decide we need better names for these things, but it turns out naming things is hard.

Compression Oct 23, 2023 0:46:13 Matt and Ben talk about how compression works, specifically deflate, which is apparently everywhere. Ben gets particular about compression ratios. Matt explains how to compress /dev/random by sorting it first.

Questionable Comments Sep 18, 2023 0:42:17 Ben and Matt comment on different types of comments in code. Join our hosts and they explore both good and bad types of comments, from the essential to the inexcusable. Matt explains how to bump the failure counter to 99. Ben suggests violence against cats.

Ben Walks A Tree Aug 22, 2023 0:43:51 Ben ventures into the forest, finds a tree traversal problem, and then fails his will save and gets fascinated by a hash map. Matt suggests zombies. Then they come up with a solution and talk about how to test it because of course they do.

Video Games and Other Diversions Jul 17, 2023 0:44:52 Matt and Ben talk about what they would do if they founded a game studio. And ASICs. And testing because why not. Join our hosts as they speculate on whether anyone has made a successful open source video game instead of just taking 5 minutes to Google it.

Yak Shaving, Part 2, Also Live! Jun 20, 2023 1:01:51 Ben and Matt finish shaving the yak from the prior episode. While waiting for DNS certificate validation to complete, our hosts discuss the "branch based environment" approach to infrastructure, and consider how serverless services make that model a bit cheaper.

Yak Shaving, Live! May 22, 2023 1:04:32 Matt and Ben hit the record button while shaving a yak and then attempt to pass it off as a podcast episode. Join our hosts as they troubleshoot DNS problems, fiddle with makefiles, and fail to remember the things that their prior selves did.

Integration Tests are a Scam Apr 18, 2023 0:36:57 Ben and Matt borrow a title from J.B. Rainsberger and talk about how integration tests want to take all your money. Or time. Same thing.

The Compiler Explorer Problem Mar 20, 2023 0:31:10 How do you solve a problem like Compiler Explorer sponsors? Matt digs into a surprisingly interesting algorithm problem that is in no way related to compilers. Ben explains how he nearly bankrupted himself by starting a bank.

Slightly Less Terrible Tech Interviews Feb 17, 2023 0:37:26 Ben and Matt descend like Orpheus into the horrifically awful world of tech interviews, to try and extract some sort of humanity from the process. They fail, of course, but discuss some interesting ideas along the way.

Not Invented, Hear? Jan 17, 2023 0:36:36 Matt and Ben explore their mutual tendency to favor build over buy. Instead of using open source software that may be free-as-in-puppy, our hosts have sometimes built their own solutions, occasionally with hilariously regrettable results.

Time For Computers Dec 18, 2022 0:44:10 Ben and Matt examine how fast computers are by comparing them to humans. Turns out they're mind-boggling-ly fast. Or maybe humans are just slow? I don't know, let's not make the humans feel bad. They're trying their best with those adorable squishy meat brains.

A Bit Rusty Nov 16, 2022 0:37:19 Matt and Ben discuss the Rust programming language, recall some hobby projects they've used it for, and speculate about where else it might be used, such as embedded rust. Ben tries to remember how Ethereum works, and fails. Matt makes a ray tracer and a Weird Al reference.

Swift (with Doug Gregor) Oct 12, 2022 0:54:12 Ben and Matt chat about the Swift programming language with special guest (and Swift creator) Doug Gregor. Doug teaches us a thing or two about Swift's design, and how it could possibly be a C++ successor. Matt rambles; Ben asks intelligent questions.

Carbon Footprint Sep 14, 2022 0:48:47 Ben and Matt talk Carbon, the new language backed by Google, designed to be a successor to C++. Matt discusses his involvement with the project. Ben asks questions and cracks wise.

Weird Webapps Aug 15, 2022 0:49:59 Matt and Ben discuss the idiosyncratic way that they learned to build web applications for trading. If latency and correctness were paramount, and you could tell all your users which browser they had to use, what would you do? Here's what we did.

Virtual Infrastructure Jul 15, 2022 0:52:22 Ben and Matt compare container technologies like Docker to virtual machines, and discuss the tradeoffs when deploying applications. Matt explains the scary things that can happen when you share a VM with strangers. A visitor enters through the couch.

Golf for Hackers Jun 19, 2022 0:40:42 Matt and Ben talk, about uh...golf? What? Is this right? Did you check this? Apparently, in this episode, Ben explains how technology and analytical advances in golf have dramatically changed the game. Matt gently prods him on.

Async Whatevers May 18, 2022 0:49:50 Ben and Matt talk about various styles of asynchronous programming, ranging from Node.js, Ruby's EventMachine, C++ coroutines, and the new JVM Project Loom. Schedule yourself a listen, won't you?

Terrible Business Ideas Apr 16, 2022 0:36:40 Matt and Ben both recall their prior adventures founding companies that sold tools for software developers. What's the best approach to this business? Go play a nice video game instead.

Java and/or C++? Mar 22, 2022 0:39:06 Ben and Matt have a work conversation spill over into podcast. Join our hosts as they compare Java and C++ as two possible languages for a new project.

Compile-Time Programming (with Hana Dusíková) Feb 20, 2022 0:49:36 Ben and Matt are joined by Hana Dusíková and discuss panoramic photographs, Matt's career peak, and compile-time programming, including her ground-breaking regular expression library. Links from the show: Hana's Panoramic photos CTRE library Hana's slides

Performance Feb 3, 2022 0:29:16 Our most efficient podcast ever. Ben and Matt talk performance testing and optimization in fewer than 30 minutes.

Building Games Two Ways Jan 2, 2022 0:54:08 Matt and Ben talk about their experiences creating games, both digital and analog. Matt recalls building games for the XBox, Dreamcast, and PS2. Ben talks about what makes board games fun, and how to lose your friends through playtesting.

Lint and Other Fuzzy Bits Nov 27, 2021 0:39:17 Matt and Ben talk about code linters, and meander into various topics. Matt describes the (approximately) 37 different ways to cast variables in C++. Ben argues that continuous integration was better in the 19th century.

The Language Menagerie Nov 1, 2021 0:46:18 Ben and Matt explore the world of programming languages. So many! Why are there so many? Wait, there's a Java Mobile Edition? Who would use such a thing? The hosts of the #1 top ranked programming podcast that my mom listens to, that's who.

Pull Requests and Pair Programming, Part 2 Oct 1, 2021 0:36:26 Hey Ben, when are you going to release the second part of that podcast on pull requests and pair programming? I've really been looking forward to it. Oh, I don't know. I need to come up with a witty description first. Hopefully some time this week.

Pull Requests and Pair Programming, Part 1 Sep 15, 2021 0:32:08 Matt and Ben compare different methods of collaboration, and how they work for different personalities. Ben is not a psychologist, but plays one on this podcast. Matt gets very close to explaining what makes for a good pull request, and then doesn't.

CPUs are Clever Aug 19, 2021 0:48:13 Matt and Ben discuss the kinds of things modern CPUs do behind the scenes. Branch prediction, caching, speculation, out-of-order processing, hyper-threading, register renaming... Lots of things most people don't need to know. Matt gets overly excited, and Ben channels Larry King to try and keep him on track.

Boring is Awesome Jul 18, 2021 0:43:09 Ben and Matt think boring things are good, and provide a few examples. Databases, for example, are boring...but even more boring options exist! Matt explains how boring tools make it easy to automate local development tasks on his funny side project. Ben reverts your commits because he wants you to be happy.

Unix Commands for Wizards Jun 22, 2021 0:57:25 Matt and Ben discuss their favorite *nix command line tools, and make various movie references while doing so. Included in this episode are references to both Sergio Leone and gunzip, although the two are surprisingly unrelated. Matt recalls using System Tap to discover latency in a trading system. Ben explains a method for writing Wireshark plugins that sparks joy.

Source Control and Conway's Law May 12, 2021 0:51:50 Matt and Ben compare monorepo vs multi-repo layouts, explain Conways Law, talk about what a 'team' is, and what Visual Source Safe isn't. Ben defines how big a service should be. Matt recalls a brief interlude with Clojure.

Pictures and Candy with Arduino Apr 26, 2021 0:42:31 Join our hosts as they talk about hobby hardware projects, past and present. Matt explains how he's building a digital picture frame out of a Raspberry Pi Pico and E-Ink display. Ben talks about building a Halloween candy dispenser using devices both serial and cereal. Matt and Ben discover they both liked MP3s in the early 00's.

Slow Builds and Fast Feedback Apr 6, 2021 0:51:00 Ben and Matt talk about builds and build systems, mostly in C++. Matt talks about lots of different ways to speed up builds for C++, and is very helpful. Ben questions whether you want a build that never fails, which is moderately helpful.

Semi-Solid Principles Mar 24, 2021 0:44:31 Matt and Ben join an argument on the Internet, which is always a productive and rewarding use of one's time. They discuss the SOLID principles from two different perspectives, and judge them. Listen in for the verdict. Then, Ben ponders how programmers learn, and whether sailors are happy. Matt gets a new puppy.

Reverse Engineering the 6502 Mar 2, 2021 0:46:49 Ben and Matt stop talking about testing, and everyone is relieved. Matt describes the process for reverse engineering microchips by stripping off layers of silicon to look at the transistors with a microscope. With this forbidden knowledge, he explains how to defeat the copy protection on a childhood video game. Ben pretends like he understands.

Special Guest: Clare Macrae Feb 4, 2021 0:48:24 Ben and Matt trick another live human being into joining them on the podcast. Clare Macrae joins to talk about her work with approval testing, her experiences dealing with legacy Fortran and C++ code, and an upcoming Webinar she's doing on refactoring-to-testability using CLion.

Manual Testing and Observability Jan 26, 2021 0:41:09 Matt and Ben discuss whether the city of Portland exists, and decide they don't care. Ben argues that you should test your code manually. Matt talks about when government regulators made him build an observable system, and how great it was. Really, it was great!

Special Guest: James Grenning Jan 13, 2021 1:03:45 Our first guest! We speak with James Grenning about his work (re)building embedded systems using Test Driven Development. Then we ask James about his involvement with the creation of the Agile Manifesto in Feburary of 2001, and find out how 'Agile' has changed over the last 20 years.

Testing in C++ Jan 7, 2021 0:37:17 Matt and Ben talk about the eXtreme Programming engineering practices, such as Test Driven Development, and how to apply them in C++. Matt tests a widget and some grommets. Ben complains about slow build times.

Episode 0 - The Origin Story Dec 24, 2020 0:36:54 Matt and Ben talk about how their careers were on the same path in the late 90's, but then diverged at a critical juncture. Then they talk about automated testing. Ben gets out his soapbox. Matt is a kind, patient soul.

Episodes

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