.NET Rocks!

Brady Gaster, a product manager at Microsoft, focuses on enhancing tools for .NET developers using Azure. He discusses app modernization challenges and the exciting evolution of software development. Brady dives into AI-driven code generators, like SpecKit, that enhance productivity and streamline workflows. He shares his innovative experiences, like integrating with the game Rust and using AI for music generation. The conversation highlights how AI is reshaping developer roles, allowing them to focus more on higher-value features.

In this engaging discussion, Mattias Karlsson, a Senior Architect and Microsoft MVP, delves into the innovative Cake.SDK, enhancing the integration of build automation into .NET applications. He highlights the evolution of Cake since 2014 and contrasts its C# scripting advantages over YAML pipelines. Topics like container builds, extensibility with community add-ins, and the importance of dependency visibility are explored. Mattias also shares insights on AI-assisted script generation and invites developers to provide feedback on the SDK for future improvements.

Den Delimarsky, a principal product engineer at Microsoft, dives into the GitHub Spec Kit and its role in specification-driven development with LLMs. He highlights how granular specifications maximize coding efficiency and serve as guardrails for AI models. Den explains the importance of detaching requirements from technical stacks and chunking tasks for successful AI-driven outcomes. He also discusses the benefits of generating tests first and maintaining developer oversight to ensure quality and security in code. It's a fresh perspective on enhancing software development with AI!

Rocky Lhotka, the mind behind the CSLA .NET framework, dives into the exciting launch of CSLA 9 and its revitalization through community contributions. He shares insights on modern integrations like Blazor and gRPC, revealing how these updates enhance stateful app development. Rocky discusses the future of AI in coding, such as using LLMs for maintaining large codebases and even creating an MCP server for better documentation access. Tune in for a blend of technical innovation and development tales!

Aspire has been around for almost two years. How do you use it effectively? Carl and Richard talk to Chris Klug about his experience with .NET Aspire. Chris discusses thinking cloud natively, whether you are going to the cloud or not - it's not just a place, but also an architecture. The conversation digs into the role of containers and Kubernetes, deployment strategies, telemetry, security, testing, and more. You can use as much or as little Aspire as you wish!

Egil Hansen, a Microsoft MVP and creator of BUnit, dives into the world of app testing. He emphasizes the importance of creating valuable, durable tests that withstand changes. Egil discusses the balance between end-to-end and integration tests, and how to keep tests resistant to refactoring. He favors custom fakes over generic mocks for clarity, explores the potential of AI in generating and reviewing tests, and shares insights on mutation testing to uncover missing scenarios. With practical advice, he guides developers toward efficient testing practices.

Joe Finney, a mobile product owner and Microsoft MVP, dives into the world of local AI models. He explores the capabilities of models from platforms like Hugging Face for tasks like OCR and image recognition. Joe explains the importance of Windows AI APIs for developers, the nuances of managing ONNX models, and the trade-offs between local and cloud solutions. He emphasizes privacy and cost benefits of local models while discussing hardware requirements and practical tools to experiment. A must-listen for anyone interested in machine learning on their own devices!

James Montemagno, Microsoft developer community lead, shares insights on integrating AI with Visual Studio Code. He explains the differences between VS Code and Visual Studio for AI workflows and discusses which LLM models work best for coding tasks. James highlights his experience building a production app using AI agents and emphasizes the importance of human oversight in coding processes. He also covers the use of GitHub agents to automate workflows and offers practical advice for developers looking to enhance productivity with AI.

Razor Tooling is evolving! Carl and Richard talk to David Wengier about the changes coming for Razor Pages in the next version of Visual Studio. David talks about the realization that much of the new work in Razor ties closely to Roslyn, which has resulted in a new co-hosting model that means higher performance and reliability for your web pages! The conversation delves into how capabilities in Visual Studio Code are shared with Visual Studio and vice versa, as well as the role of the Language Service Protocol in making it easier to bring more powerful tools to you.

Join Mads Kristensen, a Microsoft program manager with over 200 extensions published, as he dives into the future of Visual Studio 2026. Discover how AI will transform coding with features like natural language querying and smart debugging. Mads also explores Visual Studio's evolving role as a project management tool and its seamless integration with GitHub and cloud services. Plus, learn about performance enhancements that ensure a smooth user experience and the importance of staying updated with technological advancements.