Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman

Steve Klabnik, a software engineering manager at Oxide and co-author of the Rust book, shares his journey from skepticism to embracing AI in coding. He hilariously reflects on how AI has transformed his workflow, allowing him to create and ship more effectively. The discussion touches on the ethical dimensions of AI, likening it to dietary choices, and explores its impact on creative technology and programming tools. Klabnik also humorously navigates the quirks of language models, making the tech world feel both relatable and entertaining.

Benny Vasquez, Chair of the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, shares his journey from CentOS to leading a vibrant community-driven project. He discusses how AlmaLinux emerged as a trustworthy alternative following Red Hat's shift, emphasizing its open and neutral governance. Benny highlights the project's commitment to sustainability and adaptability, making it suitable for both enterprise and legacy systems. Additionally, he touches on the integration of .NET and the importance of community support, showcasing AlmaLinux's role in the ever-evolving open-source landscape.

Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org, advocates for tech equity and has transformed Chicago Public Schools. She shares her unexpected journey into computer science and how societal perceptions shape access to technology. The duo discusses the importance of equal exposure for aspiring techies and challenges outdated gender norms. Brenda emphasizes AI as a tool for creativity, while highlighting the global impact of the Grace Hopper Celebration in empowering women in tech and fostering diversity in the industry.

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman talks with Randall Hyde, renowned for his expertise in programming and assembly language. Known as the creator of the Lisa Assembler and the author of The Art of Assembly Language and Write Great Code series, Randall shares his journey from developing in assembler for early computing systems to working on modern nuclear reactor control systems. He discusses the evolution of software development, the value of assembly language in today's programming landscape, teaching methodologies, and the balance between low-level understanding and high-level productivity.Key TopicsRandall Hyde's Academic and Professional Background (00:02.72)Assembly Language Beginnings with the Lisa Assembler (00:33.45)The Evolution of Randall's Work from Games to Nuclear Engineering (04:54.99)The Importance of Understanding Low-Level Machine Behavior (06:46.75)How Assembly Language Has Evolved and Its Modern Relevance (16:11.62)HLA (High-Level Assembler) as a Teaching Tool (20:20.46)The Rise of ARM Architectures and Changing Processor Technology (29:24.59)The Need for Efficient Code in the Multi-Core Era (33:31.42)Main TakeawaysLow-Level Understanding is Foundational: Randall emphasizes that understanding machine organization and low-level behavior is essential to writing better high-level code.Practical vs. Academic Learning: College enforces learning through structure, but much of coding excellence comes from individual, rigorous practice in understanding how systems work under the hood.Evolving Utility of Assembly Language: While assembly language isn’t a daily tool for most programmers, knowing it provides critical insights into low-level optimizations essential for performance-critical applications.Shift in Performance Gains: Modern compilers and multi-core systems have reduced the performance advantages of assembly, yet efficient code writing remains vital as architecture advances slow down.Accessible Education: Randall’s approach – from pioneering HLA as a bridge to assembly to his comprehensive Write Great Code series – has focused on making low-level concepts easier for new learners to grasp.Resources MentionedThe Art of Assembly Language by Randall HydeWrite Great Code Series (Volumes 1-4) by Randall HydeVolume 2: Thinking Low-Level, Writing High-LevelRANDALLHYDE.COM: Hyde's website for books, support materials, and resourcesNo Starch Press (Publisher): NoStarch.comFollow along for more insights, tips, and conversations with industry leaders. These show notes summarize key moments in the podcast for easy reference and understanding - these show notes were generated by a custom gpt-4o-nano model trained in previous episodes of Hanselminutes

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with Roderick Rabah, Head of Product at Postman Flows, about the evolution of software development, the intersection of APIs and AI, and finding the "right layer of abstraction" for problem-solving. Drawing on his deep expertise in compiler optimization, distributed systems, and serverless computing, Rabah shares his perspectives on building tools that empower developers to create efficiently and explores the paradigm shift toward visual programming and AI-driven automation.The conversation dives into how Postman is innovating in the software space, how approaches to software engineering are transforming with generative AI, and why embracing new ways of working is critical for staying ahead in this rapidly evolving technological landscape.  Key Topics[01:08] Introduction of Roderick Rabah: From research scientist to API innovator[02:14] Evolution of software development: From FPGAs to serverless computing[03:23] APIs and AI: The transformative intersection powering workflows[05:33] The rise of tool-calling and agents: Simplifying backend tasks[07:33] Managing complexity: Why structured APIs make integration seamless[12:08] Visual programming languages: The paradigm shift for developers[16:42] Postman Flows: Building applications through visual workflows[20:24] Embracing generative AI: How senior and junior engineers benefit[29:02] Deploying with WebAssembly: Making cloud integration accessible[30:33] Reflections on the future of technology and its impact on software careersMain TakeawaysAPI + AI Integration: APIs combined with large language models are unlocking new capabilities for software development by abstracting complex operations and enabling automation.Visual Programming Paradigm Shift: Applications are increasingly built using visual workflows where developers focus on intent rather than low-level code implementation, driving efficiency and accessibility.Generative AI Empowerment: Generative AI tools are accelerating the pace of innovation, empowering engineers to fix bugs, streamline workflows, and manage edge cases efficiently.Structured APIs Critical for AI: Thoughtfully designed APIs with proper documentation and safeguards are essential to ensure that autonomous AI agents interact correctly and securely.Accessible Deployment: New runtime frameworks, like serverless with WebAssembly, make it easier for developers to deploy applications across the cloud, enabling broader adoption of AI-driven solutions.Notable Quotes"Serverless is where you think about servers less." – Scott Hanselman"At what point does communicating your intent to AI become programming again?" – Roderick Rabah"Visual programming resonates with builders because it matches the mental model of decomposing problems." – Roderick Rabah"Technology transforms rapidly. You have to figure out how to wield this immense power." – Roderick Rabah"Don’t throw away your critical thinking just because AI makes building faster." – Roderick RabahResources MentionedPostman Flows – Tools for visual programming and API integrations: postman.comReplit – Generative coding platform for automating development tasks: replit.comWebAssembly – Runtime framework for deploying serverless applications: webassembly.orgBooks on Compiler Theory: Suggested resource for expanding understanding of abstractionsFollow along for more insights, tips, and conversations with industry leaders. These show notes summarize key moments in the podcast for easy reference and understanding - these show notes were generated by a custom gpt-4o-nano model trained in previous episodes of Hanselminutes

In this episode, Scott chats with Preeti Somal, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Temporal, to explore how teams at OpenAI, Stripe, Netflix, and beyond are building long-running, crash-proof applications using Temporal's open‑source durable execution engine. Drawing on her leadership roles at HashiCorp, Yahoo!, and VMware, Preeti breaks down the orchestration challenges in today’s AI‑powered agentic architectures, shares how platform engineering, culture, and developer experience interact, and explains the feedback loops that drive platform improvement. She also offers a dive into resilience patterns like retries, state management, and sagas, and shares lessons on scaling engineering organizations through rapid growth. 

In this episode Scott talks with Dr. Malc Souter, a computer graphics algorithms PhD and former Hollywood special effects artist, now bringing his rendering expertise to AI at SKY ENGINE AI. They dive deep into the surprising power of synthetic data, exploring when fake can outperform real in areas like medical imaging, defense, and self-driving cars. Malc shares lessons from the visual effects trenches, discusses how custom rendering engines are reshaping machine learning pipelines, and unpacks the nuanced tension between privacy and progress in the age of computer vision.https://www.skyengine.ai

Dave Barry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist and author known for his witty columns, shares his journey through the ups and downs of writing and promotional tours. He humorously discusses the quirks of technology in relationships and age, the chaos of newspaper syndication, and an amusing encounter on The Tonight Show. Barry also reflects on writing for the Oscars, revealing the burdens of comedic expectations, and indulges in light-hearted tales from his nightlife, emphasizing how humor remains a vital part of life.

Earl Valencia, a tech leader and venture-backed founder, shares insights from his book, 'Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to Thrive in an Innovation-Driven and Globally Connected World.' He explores what it takes to succeed beyond Silicon Valley's glamor, focusing on the importance of having a personal mission to make a positive impact. The conversation contrasts traditional leadership with the dynamic mindset required for startups, emphasizing resilience and passion. Valencia challenges the definitions of success and encourages founders to align their goals with market needs for lasting achievement.

Ever wonder how AI “sees” high-dimensional data? In this special 1,000th episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with AI expert Pamela Fox about the fascinating world of visualizing complex data. Pamela breaks down how those abstract numbers and vectors can be turned into visuals we can actually understand—basically helping us see how AI thinks. They also talk about the challenge of explaining advanced AI stuff in plain English, and why it matters for devs, data folks, or really anyone curious about what’s going on behind the scenes. If you've ever wanted a peek into the brain of an AI, this is a fun and eye-opening place to start.