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Put `timeout` in front of commands so runaway jobs get killed

SoftwareLinux timeout command

You can put that in front of a command, and so if it exceeds a specific time, it'll kill it.

Episode 253: Dirty Fix (episode page, opens in a new tab) March 13, 2026, 2:23 p.m. CT 00:03:41 (play audio from this timestamp, opens in a new tab)

Voice-matched

Summary

For runaway processes, Dave points Adam to the standard `timeout` command: put it in front of a command, and if the command runs longer than the time you set, it gets killed. It's handy for cron jobs you don't want accidentally doubling up.

Not in the audio. The name 'timeout' is in the Unknown cue just before the quote, and the cron-job remark is also in an Unknown cue. This is before the guest joins (around 00:36), so the conversation is just Dave and Adam.