In this episode, we engage in an insightful discussion with Alan Siu, a prominent figure in the Mac admin space, who shares his experiences and thoughts about the evolving landscape of technology and open source software. Alan reflects on how the introduction of devices like the iPod marked a significant transition in how we consume music, shifting from ownership towards streaming, which has fundamentally altered the way we think about our digital collections.
We delve into the nostalgia of owning physical media, comparing the past practices of music and comic book collection to today’s digital landscape where ownership is becoming increasingly abstract. Alan recounts his own journey, including his extensive collection of CDs and comic books, and discusses how digitizing these collections has changed his relationship with music and media. This naturally leads us to the topic of comics and graphic novels, where Alan draws parallels between the artistic elements of graphic novels and their storytelling prowess, illustrating how they have evolved over the years.
As the conversation progresses, Alan provides an origin story detailing how he transitioned from a high school English teacher to becoming deeply entrenched in IT, particularly working with open source tools like Munki. He expresses the community’s supportive nature and reflects on how this niche of Mac admins has transformed over the years, specifically highlighting the collaborative spirit that drives innovation and problem-solving within the community.
Alan shares his experiences with various tools and software for managing Macs, comparing Munki with other emerging solutions like Installomator. He discusses the unique benefits of different tools and emphasizes the importance of having a wide variety of resources available to Mac admins, which helps tackle the nuanced challenges they face in today’s environments.
In addition, the discussion touches on Apple’s approach to enterprise support, the introduction of new security features, and how they affect the workflows of Mac administrators. Alan articulates the camaraderie found within the Mac admin community, fostering a culture of shared knowledge that is often absent in other tech spheres. This shared understanding and mutual support enable the community to adapt and respond swiftly to changes introduced by Apple.
We wrap up by celebrating the upcoming Mac DevOps YVR conference, where Alan will present and engage with fellow professionals. He expresses his excitement about contributing to the community and highlights the value of in-person connections that conferences facilitate. Alan emphasizes the importance of these gatherings not just for learning, but for building relationships and exchanging innovative ideas that keep the Mac admin community vibrant and dyamic.
Chapters
1:07 The Evolution of Music Ownership
1:20 The Struggle of Collecting Media
1:54 From Comics to Digital Mediums
4:46 The Rise of Graphic Novels
6:32 Welcome to the Mac DevOps Podcast
9:35 The Journey into IT
13:03 Learning Through Open Source
16:02 The Community of Mac Admins
24:09 Navigating Apple’s Changes
28:21 The State of macOS Today
31:07 Apple’s Internal Communication
34:23 Adapting to New Challenges
35:35 The Value of Community
38:14 Planning for Quick Talks
42:15 Looking Forward to the Conference
SPONSOR: Special shout-out to MacStadium as our MDOYVR 2025 Welcome Reception sponsor. Join us June 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM – see https://mdoyvr.com/ for more details
References:
Wade Robson s3 middleware (GitHub – waderobson/s3-auth: Generate s3 authentication headers for munki)
Installomator (GitHub – Installomator/Installomator: Installation script to deploy standard software on Macs)
Autopkg (GitHub – autopkg/autopkg: Automating packaging and software distribution on macOS)
Links to some Munki related talks at MDO over the years:
MDOYVR19 – Greg Neagle – A Swift Adventure – Moving from Python to Swift
MDOYVR19 – Graham Gilbert – Munki Repo in 3 Mins
MDOYVR24 – Martin Leger – Future Proofing MunkiWebAdmin2 (Quick Talk)
MDOYVR22 – Rod Christiansen – MunkiMDM (Quick Talk)
MDOYVR21 – Hannes Juutilainen – Munki Admin – Tips and Tricks
MDOYVR16 -Wade Robson – Munki Middleware
MDOYVR15 – Wade Robson – Hack your Mac into Munki or Casper (Jamf Pro)
MDOYVR17 – Greg Neagle – Munki 3
MDOYVR15 – Greg Neagle – Getting started with Munki
MDOYVR15 – Mike Dodge – Chef and Munki at Scale
MDOYVR15 – Sam Keeley – Munki and Friends Git under Control