All Episodes

March 25, 2025 78 mins

Summary (generated)

In this conversation, Shahar "Dawn" Or interviews Farid Zakaria, a software engineer and PhD candidate, about his experiences with Nix, a powerful tool for reproducible software development. Farid shares his journey of learning Nix, its infectious nature, and its application in enterprise environments. He discusses the concept of innovation tokens, the challenges of teaching Nix, and how it has influenced his PhD research. The conversation also delves into dynamic linking, performance improvements, and the potential of Nix as a research platform. In this conversation, Farid Zakaria discusses the challenges and innovations in software performance, particularly focusing on application start-up times and the implications of dynamic versus static linking. He introduces the concept of stable linking, which aims to enhance software responsiveness and security while addressing historical decisions in software development. The discussion also touches on the potential for broader applications beyond C/C++, the importance of auditing in software, and the cultural shifts needed in the software development community to adopt these innovations.

Takeaways (generated)

Nix empowers reproducible software development.
The journey to learning Nix can be challenging but rewarding.
Nix is increasingly being adopted in enterprise environments.
Innovation tokens are crucial for evaluating new technologies.
Teaching Nix effectively requires understanding its practical applications.
Nix can significantly improve development environments.
Dynamic linking presents unique challenges that Nix can address.
Nix allows for performance optimizations in software applications.
Nix serves as a valuable research platform for PhD candidates.
The community around Nix is diverse and supportive.
Application start-up times can be significantly improved with optimization techniques.
Reducing the number of symbols in applications can lead to faster performance.
Stable linking offers a way to enhance software security and performance.
Dynamic linking has historical roots in resource constraints and code reuse.
The future of software may see faster responsiveness across all applications.
Auditing software for compatibility and security is crucial in modern development.
Compiler innovations can lead to substantial speed improvements in software builds.
C and C++ are not the only languages that can benefit from these linking techniques.
Cultural shifts in the software community are necessary for adopting new practices.
Practical implementation of stable linking could revolutionize how software is built and run.

Chapters (generated)

00:00 Introduction and Background
02:14 Exploring Nix and Its Community
05:00 The Transition from Hobbyist to Enterprise
06:47 Nix's Infectious Nature and Deployment Challenges
09:18 The Appeal of Nix for Development Environments
11:48 Innovation Tokens and Nix's Value Proposition
13:57 Bringing Nix to Looker and Google
15:39 Teaching Nix and Overcoming Adoption Hurdles
18:33 The Role of Nix in PhD Research
21:04 Dynamic Linking and Performance Optimization
23:41 Benchmarking and Results
26:19 Conclusion and Future Directions
48:14 The Impact of Speed on Software Development
55:34 The Future of Dynamic Linking and Its Implications
58:49 Stable Linking: A New Paradigm
01:05:04 Revisiting the Rationale Behind Dynamic Linking
01:11:15 Implementing Stable Linking in Nixpkgs


https://fzakaria.com/

https://www.confluent.io/
https://kafka.apache.org/
https://bazel.build/
https://www.ucsc.edu/
.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}


Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.