Daniel Stenberg on Curl's Journey: From C64 Demos to Internet Transfers

Nerding Out With Viktor

On this engaging episode of "Nerding Out with Viktor", Viktor sits down with Daniel Stenberg, founder of the widely adopted command-line tool Curl, to discuss his fascinating journey from early programming days on Commodore 64 and Amiga to creating a tool that has become indispensable for developers worldwide. Daniel shares insights into maintaining an open-source project for over 26 years, including the complexities of supporting various architectures and quirky operating systems like Windows. The conversation highlights Daniel's anecdotes about crazy support requests, the importance of community building, and reducing friction for contributors. He also delves into adopting new standards in Curl, backward compatibility, and security measures to prevent supply chain attacks. Additionally, Daniel shares his thoughts on open-source funding, sponsorships, and the challenges faced by maintainers. Join Viktor for this insightful discussion with a true pioneer in the open-source world, offering valuable takeaways for developers, open-source enthusiasts, and anyone interested in software development.