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

Welcome to another exciting episode of "Nerding Out with Viktor!" Today, we have a very special guest, Daniel Stenberg, the founder of Curl. For those unfamiliar, Curl is a command-line tool used for internet transfers, supporting 28 different URL schemes and widely adopted around the world. Daniel shares his fascinating journey from early programming on the Commodore 64 and Amiga, to the creation and evolution of Curl, a tool that has become indispensable for developers globally.

In this episode, Daniel discusses his early days in the demo scene, his transition to Unix systems, and the development of Curl. He delves into the challenges and rewards of maintaining an open-source project for over 26 years, including the complexities of supporting various architectures and handling quirky operating systems like Windows. Daniel also shares his thoughts on community building, emphasizing the importance of reducing friction and making it easy for anyone to contribute to Curl.

One of the highlights of the conversation is Daniel’s anecdotes about the craziest support requests he has received, from helping with hacked Instagram accounts to resolving GPS issues in cars. These stories not only highlight the widespread use of Curl but also the amusing misunderstandings users sometimes have about open-source software.

Daniel also opens up about the process of adopting new standards in Curl, the importance of backward compatibility, and the intricacies of supporting protocols like HTTP and HTTPS. He provides insights into the future roadmap of Curl and the careful consideration that goes into deprecating features while ensuring minimal disruption for users.

Security is a major focus of the discussion, with Daniel explaining the measures Curl takes to prevent supply chain attacks and the importance of reproducible builds. He recounts the story of a controversial CVE related to Curl, shedding light on the complexities of handling security vulnerabilities in open-source projects.

The conversation wraps up with a deep dive into the future of open-source funding. Daniel shares his experiences and thoughts on how projects like Curl can secure financial support, the role of sponsorships, and the challenges faced by maintainers. His insights are invaluable for anyone involved in or interested in the sustainability of open-source software.

Join us for this insightful and engaging discussion with Daniel Stenberg, a true pioneer in the open-source world. Whether you're a seasoned developer, an open-source enthusiast, or simply curious about the journey of one of the most widely used tools in software development, this episode is for you.