2025-06-13 –, A113 (capacity 64)
Imagine pushing a critical security update, only to wake up to a flood of user complaints because your patch broke a legacy system. Backporting is the unsung hero of software maintenance—until it goes sideways. As the maintainer of Firefox and Thunderbird for enterprise Linux, I’ve navigated dependency hell, untangled CVEs, and walked the tightrope between security and stability. In this talk, I’ll share how powered automation slashed our backporting time by 30%, along with battle-tested strategies to:
* Fix security bugs without breaking existing workflows,
* Manage cross-version dependencies like a pro,
* Turn backporting from a chore into a streamlined process.
Walk away with actionable scripts, a dependency-tracking template, and the confidence to keep your projects secure—even when working with decade-old codebases. Perfect for Python developers, maintainers, and open-source contributors tired of playing Jenga with legacy systems.
Beginner - no experience needed
I am a Software Maintenance Engineer at Red Hat, where I work on backporting patches for various desktop subsystem tools to ensure security and stability in enterprise Linux environments. I am a speaker who has delivered multiple talks, including at DevConf events. I am keenly interested in software and automation and actively contribute to open-source communities while learning and sharing knowledge. I’ve been a CFP reviewer for PyCon US, which helped me understand how to create and evaluate effective proposals. My work has been featured at DevConf India, and I’ve also been part of the GNOME Asia organizing team. I enjoy simplifying workflows and encouraging others to explore open-source technologies.