The IT Guy Show

At SouthEast Linux Fest, I did something I've never attempted before: a live, hands-on intro to tabletop role playing games for a packed room of Linux nerds. No idea how many people were showing up. No idea how many had ever touched a d6. Somewhere between 10 and 100, they said. Cool. Cool cool cool.

We covered the basics of TTRPGs, walked through systems like D&D, Savage Worlds, and Dungeon World, and then built a one-shot to...

Home labs have evolved from hobbyist experiments to essential infrastructure for tech professionals, but knowing when to build one…and how…isn't always clear. Josh from Keep It Techie joins Eric to discuss the practical realities of home lab ownership: the cost-benefit calculations, the apartment constraints, and the decisions that actually matter when you're running real workloads. From colocation trade-offs to gigab...

AI is everywhere, and so is the fear that it's coming for your job. But what if the real story is more interesting than that?

Eric sits down with returning guest Karl Abbott, tech leader and podcaster, for a conversation sparked by his recent article "AI Didn't Replace My Work. It Changed How I Work." Karl shares how leaning into AI tools didn't make him feel replaced. It made him feel more focused. The mechanics got faster. The j...

Teaching a Linux course will humble you fast, especially when your students ask about apt and you realize the last time you logged into an Ubuntu server was when you were still a sysadmin. That embarrassing moment is what sent Eric looking for someone who lives and breathes Ubuntu every single day, and it led him to Nathan, a two-decade Ubuntu community volunteer who has been running booths, moderating Reddit, and serving on the Ub...

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with Damen Knight, CIQ Sr. Principal Automation Engineer, to talk about something every AI team knows but nobody budgets for: the hidden cost of configuring Linux for GPU workloads.
Together they dig into why general-purpose Linux distributions were never really built for AI, what actually happens when you spend 30 to 60 minutes per node doing manual CUDA setup, and why a "pre...

We’re starting 2026 with a reality check: subscriptions are eating our wallets. From streaming services to password managers, cloud storage to to-do apps — the "monthly drip" is everywhere.

In this solo episode, Eric breaks down why recurring subscription models have become the default, how they impact both consumers and creators, and what it looks like to take back control through self-hosting and open source alternat...

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Linux content creator Brodie Robertson to dive into the display server drama of the decade: the end of X11 and the rise of Wayland.

Together they explore the history of X11, its weird quirks, and why it stuck around so long, before unpacking what makes Wayland different, better, and sometimes frustrating. From screen tearing and window managers to PipeWire, gaming, and remote d...

Applying online and hearing nothing back? You’re not alone—and it’s not your fault.

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with Jeffry Ullman, job search coach and creator of the LinkedIn Job Search Masterclass, to break down what really works when trying to land your next role. Drawing on experience, strategy, and a wealth of practical tips from his two-part presentation series, Jeffry shares how to ...

Getting laid off is hard. It can shake your confidence, your routines, and your sense of direction. But it doesn’t have to define you.

In this solo episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric shares his own experience with being laid off including: what helped, what didn’t, and what he wishes he’d known earlier. He also rounds up the most practical, compassionate advice from others who’ve been through it: from job hun...

What happens when two nerds who love the community side of tech get together? A whole lot of stories, laughs, and insights.

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with his coworker Chris DeMars to talk about Developer Relations, technical advocacy, and what it really takes to support and empower devs in today’s fast-moving ecosystem. From browser wars to burnout, open source to on-stage nerves, it’s a real ...

The role of the system administrator has changed a lot in the last couple decades, but some of us are still proudly flying the flag. Eric sits down with longtime friend Nate Lager to talk about his career journey, lessons learned from the trenches, and what still excites him about tech today.

We’ll cover everything from burnout to bash scripts, automation to authenticity. Whether you’re a new sysadmin, a grizzled grayb...

Before DevOps, SRE, and the cloud were all the rage, there were sysadmins—tech generalists who kept the lights on, often with duct tape, bash scripts, and caffine.

In this solo episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric shares how he broke into the world of system administration, from his earliest tech gigs to becoming the go-to Linux guy. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons learned, tools loved (and hated), and how the role of ...

From AI to compliance, modernization to mission-critical infrastructure, working in the public sector versus government tech can look similar on the surface… but the reality is often worlds apart.

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric welcomes Joel Krooswyk, a former colleague at GitLab and a seasoned technical leader navigating a major life shift. Together, they unpack the differences between public sector and governmen...

For many Linux users, configuration means dotfiles, bash scripts, and duct tape. But what if your entire system, from packages to users to services could be described, versioned, and rolled back like code?

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Aaron Honeycutt to demystify NixOS, the declarative, reproducible Linux distribution that’s changing how people think about system configuration. We’ll cover what...

GitOps can feel like buzzword soup, especially for seasoned Linux admins who’ve spent years mastering bash, cron, and config files. But what if it’s not as scary—or as different—as it sounds?

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Christian Hernandez, a longtime Linux administrator who “accidentally” became a Kubernetes and GitOps expert. Together, they break down what GitOps real...

What if your desktop, tablet, and phone all spoke the same open-source language? Meet Lomiri — a fast, lightweight, and flexible user interface originally developed for Ubuntu Touch, and now maintained by the UBports community.

In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Erik Mols from the Lomiri project to unpack what Lomiri is, where it came from, and how it’s carving out a unique niche in the Linux ecosyst...

After a few months away from the mic, I’m back—and rebooting Eric the IT Guy not just as a brand, but as a mission.

In this short update, I share what I’ve been up to since leaving Red Hat, why I’m launching into a new season of my career, and what I’m hoping for next. Whether you’ve followed my journey through Linux, open source, or DevOps content creation—this is a personal, honest reset...

We all seem to have this vision of “arriving” at some tech paradise where everything “just works”. After 17 years in IT, I’d say it's safe to say that will never happen. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for better. Teams that embrace the chaos can make huge strides towards improving their environment.

Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tec...

Stress and burnout come for all of us at one time or another. You may not even realize that is what is going on. Join Eric as he sits down with Jennifer and Bryan Horton, owners of Dull Made Daring, and learn the warning signs, recovery methods, and how to slash your anxiety away, with a sword, yeah, a literal sword!

Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood ...