# Mike McQuaid on 16 years of maintaining Homebrew | Episode 5 | The GitHub Podcast Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdxYnfPQrzU Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/mdxYnfPQrzU Generated: 2026-01-10T15:34:06.948+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Mike McQuaid, the project leader for Homebrew, discusses the tool's 16-year history, its role as the de facto package manager for macOS developers, and the importance of fostering a positive community culture to retain maintainers despite the challenges of volunteer open source work. **Key Points:** - Homebrew has been maintained for over 16 years and is the package manager of choice for many macOS developers, installing tens of millions of packages worldwide. - Mike McQuaid, the project leader, notes that Homebrew predates GitHub Pull Requests being a primary contribution method, having been created when he was working at a startup in London and complaining about MacPorts. - The project leader mentions the community has grown significantly, currently having 29 active maintainers, and they actively try to avoid burnout by encouraging positive interactions. - McQuaid believes the key to success in open source maintenance is not just technical skill but also maintaining a positive culture, as people are more likely to stick around if they feel supported and not aggressively criticized. - The project leader personally focuses on writing good documentation and examples rather than only fixing issues, preferring to guide others rather than be the sole problem solver. - GitHub's relationship with open source projects like Homebrew has evolved, with GitHub now providing infrastructure (like Actions and Copilot) that simplifies contribution workflows. - McQuaid shares his favorite tool is 'flukeout.github.io', a CSS animation tool created by his friend Luke, which he finds useful for learning CSS. ![Screenshot at 00:10: Abby Cabunoc Mayes introduces the GitHub Podcast and the guest, Mike McQuaid, Lead Open Source Maintainer for Homebrew, setting the context for the interview.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-00-10.jpg) **Context:** This is an interview segment from the GitHub Podcast featuring Abby Cabunoc Mayes (Lead Open Source Maintainer, GitHub) and Andrea Griffiths (Senior Developer Advocate, GitHub) speaking with Mike McQuaid, the Homebrew Project Leader. The discussion centers on the longevity, culture, and maintenance challenges of the Homebrew project, which serves as the primary package manager for many on macOS. ## Detailed Analysis The GitHub Podcast episode features an interview with Mike McQuaid, the Project Leader for Homebrew, discussing the project's longevity (over 16 years) and its significance in the open-source ecosystem, particularly for macOS users. McQuaid explained that Homebrew was started out of frustration with existing package managers like MacPorts while he was working at a startup in London. He noted that Homebrew installs tens of millions of packages globally. McQuaid emphasized that maintaining such a large project requires more than just technical skill; fostering a positive culture is crucial to prevent maintainer burnout. He mentioned that the project has 29 active maintainers and they actively try to avoid negative interactions, preferring to encourage contributions through positive feedback and clear documentation rather than enforcing strict, potentially alienating rules. He contrasted this with situations where new contributors might face overly critical reviews. McQuaid also highlighted that GitHub's infrastructure, like GitHub Actions and Copilot, has made it easier for maintainers to manage workflows, such as automatically running CI checks on PRs. He also mentioned that he personally focuses on creating helpful documentation and examples to guide others. Finally, he mentioned a fun tool he likes called 'flukeout.github.io' for CSS animations. ### Homebrew Overview and History - Homebrew has been maintained for over 16 years - Originally created by Mike McQuaid out of frustration with MacPorts - Installs tens of millions of packages worldwide ### Maintainer Culture and Challenges - Currently has 29 active maintainers - Focus on positive culture and avoiding burnout/toxicity - Strong preference for guiding new contributors over strictly enforcing rules ### AI Tooling Impact - GitHub Actions and Copilot have streamlined workflows like automated CI checks on PRs - AI tools help automate some review processes, though human review remains essential ### Personal Philosophy - McQuaid prefers writing documentation and examples over solely fixing immediate bugs - Values the positive feedback loop from users who rely on the tool daily ### Favorite Tool Mentioned - McQuaid highlighted 'flukeout.github.io' (a CSS animation tool) as a recent find he enjoys using. ![Screenshot at 0:00: The intro screen for the GitHub Podcast featuring animated mascots.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-00-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:10: Abby Cabunoc Mayes introduces the podcast and the guest, Mike McQuaid.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-00-10.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:26: Andrea Griffiths introduces herself as a co-host and introduces Mike McQuaid.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-00-26.jpg) ![Screenshot at 1:09: Mike McQuaid explains that Homebrew was created after complaining about package managers in a pub in London.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-01-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 3:34: Abby Cabunoc Mayes smiles while mentioning the 100-to-1 contributor-to-maintainer ratio in open source.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/mdxYnfPQrzU/00-03-34.jpg)