Loose tech talk with real builders.
Tech Over Tea sits in the practical end of tech talk: developers explain what they are making, why it exists, and where the hard parts are. The show often starts with Linux and open source, then wanders into indie games, browsers, desktop experiments, and community events.
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Tech Over Tea is built around long, informal conversations with people making software, systems, tools, and games. The show’s center of gravity is open source and operating systems, but it does not stay fenced in. One week can focus on Software Freedom Day and the volunteer work behind the Digital Freedom Foundation. Another can follow Ladybird’s move toward Rust, ReactOS work on physical hardware, or Wayland running on macOS. The pace is quick. The polish is intentionally loose. Brodie Robertson often begins with a broad setup, lets the guest lay out the project, then circles back with a simpler version of the question. That rhythm makes technical subjects feel reachable without sanding away the details. The best episodes have a workshop quality. Developers explain what they tried, what testers disliked, what old assumptions had to be dropped, and what still needs work. Indie game conversations fit that pattern neatly, especially when they get into level design, tutorial problems, weapon systems, or furniture-based stat buffs. Open-source interviews have a similar appeal. They treat infrastructure as a human project, shaped by volunteers, old code, language choices, funding needs, and the stubborn work of maintenance. The show is not a scripted explainer. It leaves in digressions, small jokes, awkward starts, and the occasional repeated question. That looseness can make the conversation feel more honest. It also means the guest often carries the technical substance while the interviewer keeps the thread moving. Listeners get practical context instead of abstract enthusiasm. They hear why a browser wants distance from advertising, why 2038 bugs still matter, why a compositor name can start as a joke, and why removing a mechanic can make a game stronger. Tech Over Tea is at its best for people who want the story behind a project before the release notes turn it into a clean summary.
Made for: For Linux users, open-source followers, indie software watchers, and technically curious listeners who enjoy hearing developers reason through unfinished work. It also suits people who like games, browsers, desktops, and community tech events discussed in plain language.
What sets it apart: The show keeps the interview texture intact while still getting to implementation details. Instead of flattening projects into announcements, it lets guests explain constraints, false starts, maintenance work, and design tradeoffs in their own words.
Generally Tech Over Tea is going to be a show about technology but sometimes we might diverge from that, ok I won't lie, it might be kind of often that we diverge but that's what makes it fun. This podcast was created to give me an opportunity to talk to really interesting people and share those conversations with the world, I hope that you guys end up having as much fun listening to the show as I do creating it.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Builder interviews connect technical choices to testing, usability, cost and the practical work of bringing independent projects into the world.
Brodie Robertson gives builders room to explain what they are making, then keeps pressing on the decisions underneath it. Tech Over Tea moves through Linux and open source software, independent hardware and game development by pairing conversational interviews with practical…
Brodie Robertson keeps the microphone open until the shiny Linux project has actual engineering tradeoffs.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear look at Goldstained as Tommy and Justin refine what stays, what gets taught, and what gets cut.
Rudy Robertson sits down with Tommy and Justin for a focused look at Goldstained, and the conversation works best when it stays on the game itself.
A practical look at how a free software community keeps making room for more people.
Tech Over Tea follows Jurgen Gaeremyn through Software Freedom Day and the volunteer board behind the Digital Freedom Foundation. It is strongest when it shows how a small event, beginning with five speakers and six visitors, became a three-floor gathering where the ground…
Phoenix takes center stage as Brodie Robertson and Deku Seba work through desktop behavior, prompts, and tearing.
Tech Over Tea keeps its attention on Phoenix, a new X11 server from the developer known online as Deku Seba, while Brodie Robertson steers the talk toward how it would behave on an actual desktop.
A console pitch that gets most compelling once it narrows in on controllers and price.
Rudy Robertson hosts a conversation with Gabriel Thompson, founder and lead software engineer at Cubix Entertainment, about a new gaming console his team is building. Thompson frames it as something that began as a cool little thing and kept growing as interest around it did.
A practical look at Cosmic Desktop Alpha 2 and the realities of shipping it.
The episode keeps a practical focus as it follows Cosmic Desktop Alpha 2 with Carl Rochelle, the CEO of System76. It moves from release cadence to what makes alpha software useful day to day, then into the harder truth that hardware cannot be updated after it ships.
BSD news with operational consequences attached.
Open source health, measured with context.
Real hardware, live from the desk.
Open source builders on code, licenses and money.
Brodie Robertson speaks with Carl Richell, the CEO of System76, about Cosmic Alpha 2, the new monthly release rhythm, and what Alpha 3 and Alpha 4 are trying to achieve.
A podcast episode where the host interviews indie game developers about their roles and their game Bloodvow Survive the Night.
Roddy Robinson opens by tracing Europe's open source push, from KDE's German roots and the Free Software Foundation Europe (founded 2001) to the Dutch government's NixOS-based distro.
Brody Robertson examines KDE’s proposed AI policy and the escalating dispute around KDE for the People.
On Tech Over Tea, Brody Robertson questions whether camera-equipped smart glasses should be allowed in bathrooms or while driving.
An interview with the developers of the upcoming metroidvania game Gold Stained, discussing their roles and journey from game jams to a full project.
Brodie Robertson speaks with Jürgen Gaeremyn, one of five board members of the Digital Freedom Foundation, about Software Freedom Day and how the event differs from conferences like FOSDEM, Ubucon, and Foscon.
Rudy Robertson interviews Mirko Brombin about his new desktop project Singularity, which he has been working on for over a year.
Andreas Kling discusses the Ladybird browser project, its origins from Serenity OS, and the decision to adopt Rust as a second language for safer code.
Bernhard Wiedemann discusses the 2038 problem in Linux, its implications, and his work on reproducible builds to address it.
An interview with ReactOS developers discussing the project's progress and future.
Aiden from Catalyst Games introduces their upcoming cozy RPG 'Dungeons and Dining Tables', where players delve into dungeons to collect furniture that provides stat buffs when placed in their house.
Interview with Alex Spaulding, developer of Wawona Compositor, a Wayland compositor for macOS and iOS.
Tech Over Tea talks with Brodie Robertson and dec05eba about Phoenix, a new X11 server aimed at GPU Screen Recorder and other overlay-heavy apps.
Gabriel Thompson says Live Finite makes a Vulkan triangle possible in about 200 lines instead of 900.
A podcast host interviews indie game developers about their roles and their game Bloodvow Survive the Night.