Azure & DevOps Podcast

April Yoho, a Senior Developer Advocate at GitHub, has a rich background in application transformation and DevOps. She shares her inspiring journey from data center outages in the U.S. to discovering cloud automation in the U.K. April discusses GitHub's transformation into a comprehensive platform focusing on security and developer productivity. She highlights the innovative Codespaces, enhancing the cloud development experience, and explores how GitHub Copilot is streamlining workflows and boosting productivity, reshaping the future of development.

In this engaging discussion, Jerry Nixon, a Principal Program Manager on the SQL Server team and a professor, shares unique insights into the intersection of parenting and engineering. He emphasizes the crucial role of community and networking in career growth, comparing pivotal moments to pearls on a necklace. Nixon also explains how .NET Aspire simplifies container-based development and enhances database interactions, while offering a fresh perspective on developer conventions at Microsoft. Plus, he delves into the evolving landscape of GraphQL and the importance of community feedback on tools.

Stephen Toub, a Partner Software Engineer at Microsoft with nearly 24 years of experience in .NET, delves into AI's transformative role in software development. He discusses the evolution of .NET libraries to support AI-enhanced tools improving developer productivity and user interfaces. Toub explains the concept of advanced agent systems powered by large language models, and highlights critical integrations in the .NET ecosystem that allow interoperability across various AI frameworks. His insights pave the way for a bold future in AI and .NET.

Bruno Capuano, a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft, empowers teams to harness AI using languages like C#, Python, and C++. He shares his journey into tech advocacy and highlights the crucial need for .NET developers to have seamless access to AI tools. Bruno discusses essential resources for beginners and the benefit of local development options. He also explores innovative solutions like vector databases to enhance AI applications, emphasizing real-time data interactions and community engagement to make AI more accessible and effective.

Per Kops, a distinguished software developer at Delegate with nearly two decades in .NET and Azure, shares insights on the evolution of software consulting. He discusses founding ATC-Net to streamline code sharing and foster trust through open-source initiatives. The conversation delves into Ollama's architecture for local LLMs, his fondness for Semantic Kernel's abstraction layers, and the role of vector stores in AI. Per also breaks down complex topics like 'text chunkers' and finding the right tools tailored to business needs.

Patrick Escarcega is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Meserow Design, a company known for its excellence in developing and maintaining custom software solutions. His background is in software engineering and has been leading software teams for many years. His technical focus has been on Microsoft development and cloud technologies.    Topics of Discussion: [3:30] Patrick recalls the moment he transitioned from individual software developer to leading teams, highlighting the importance of understanding how software adds business value beyond just code. [5:00] Patrick describes the joy he rediscovered in coding when starting his own company, emphasizing the delicate balance between hands-on coding and leadership responsibilities. [7:50] The head chef and food scientist analogy. [9:26] The importance of creating a safe environment, a “pit of success,” so developers can naturally follow best practices without feeling constrained. [10:36] Why readable, maintainable code is crucial, especially for senior leaders whose time is spent reading code more than writing it. [13:27] Comparing software engineering creativity to building an engine from “invisible Lego bricks," emphasizes the hidden creativity involved in engineering solutions. [15:08] The importance of leaders giving developers space and freedom to craft innovative solutions, rather than overly prescribing methodologies. [17:00] Running integration tests. [20:41] Accessibility and WCAG compliance explained: Why accessibility should be an integral part of software development and testing workflows. [23:14] EqualWeb accessibility checker and Chrome browser extension. [25:02] Practical everyday use of AI in software development, especially GitHub Copilot, and why developers should embrace AI tools regularly to remain productive and competitive. [31:10] Patrick encourages developers to embrace AI and keep learning, emphasizing that continuous adaptation will keep careers vibrant over the next decade.   Mentioned in this Episode: Clear Measure Way Architect Forum Software Engineer Forum Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net. Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo Patrick Escarcega Meserow Design Engineering Practices for LLM Application Development     Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Daniel Roth is a Principal Product Manager on the ASP.NET team working on ASP.NET Core, Blazor, and other web features. He has previously worked on various parts of .NET, including System.Net, WCF, XAML, and ASP.NET. His passions include building frameworks for modern Web frameworks that are simple and easy to use.   Topics of Discussion: [3:15] Daniel shares his journey from back-end services to front-end development and his role in making .NET open-source and cross-platform. [6:10] Blazor and its impact on development. [8:32] A few of the strengths we get with .NET. [9:24] .NET 9 and performance improvements. [12:45] .NET 10 Preview 1 and new features. [17:32] Architectural guidance for Blazor applications. [30:17] The importance of handling state persistence to avoid memory bloat and security issues. [32:32] Observability and telemetry in Blazor. [36:28] Is the nature of the UI web user interface changing as we integrate AI technology and large language models and agents? [37:12] Integration of AI and Generative AI in Blazor. [37:38] The new Microsoft Extensions AI library for interfacing with chat services in .NET applications.   Mentioned in this Episode: Clear Measure Way Architect Forum Software Engineer Forum Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net. Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo Ep 274 with Daniel Roth Daniel Roth LinkedIn What's New for ASP.NET Core Blazor in .NET9 Daniel Roth — Author in .NET Blog Performance Improvements in .NET9 .NET Preview 1 is now available! ASP.NET Core in .NET 10 Preview 1 — Release Notes ASP.NET Core Roadmap for .NET 10 #59443   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Dustin is a Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft. He works on enhancing .NET tooling and contributing to the design of the next version of C# as part of the language design team. Prior to his current role, he spent several years working as a program manager on Project Roslyn. He also contributed in a strong way to the Razor UI framework. He recently presented a session at .NET Conf 2024 on What's new in C# 13.   Topics of Discussion: [4:04] Fun fact: Dustin has a jazz guitar performance degree! [3:39] The unique appeal of C#. [5:06] Evolution of C# and its features. [10:48] Impact of Async and Await on C#. [13:17] The compatibility of C# 13 with older .NET versions, specifically .NET 8. [15:04] How developers can leverage the latest C# features while still targeting older .NET frameworks, and the challenges associated with runtime support for new language capabilities. [17:04] Hacking the C# compiler. [17:28] The evolution of records from their initial introduction to the added features. [18:46] Records vs. Classes in C#. [22:51] AI’s influence on developer productivity. [25:46] The future of AI developer tools. [33:26] The need for better support for testing with large language models and other AI-driven dependencies.   Mentioned in this Episode: Clear Measure Way Architect Forum Software Engineer Forum Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net. Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo  The Five Pillars: Leadership For Effective Custom Software, by Jeffrey Palermo  Jeffrey Palermo’s Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events! Dustin Campbell on LinkedIn .NET Conf 2024: What’s New in C#13   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Scott Nichols, a Principal Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft, discusses the transformative impact of generative AI on project workloads, both externally and internally. He emphasizes the importance of bridging the coding gap with AI tools and describes how companies are leveraging AI to analyze telemetry data for new products. Scott shares insights about the Azure AI Foundry, a developer-friendly portal with access to over 1800 models. He also highlights the value of on-prem tools for AI experimentation, alongside the rapid pace of innovation in the tech landscape.

Shaun Walker is the founder and CEO of Devessence, a global technology consultancy with a boutique approach. He’s also the founder of the Oqtane and DotNetNuke web application frameworks, which have earned the recognition of being amongst the most pioneering and widely adopted open-source projects native to the Microsoft platform. He has over 30 years of professional experience in architecting and implementing enterprise software solutions for private and public organizations.   Topics of Discussion: [4:38] While AI can be a useful tool, it won’t replace the need for traditional programming. [8:32] The gap between mainstream AI messaging and the reality of digital transformation. [9:22] While AI is a significant advancement, it should be seen as just another tool in a developer’s toolkit. [9:39] The history and evolution of Blazor. [13:31] The versatility of Blazor and its ability to adapt to various hosting models make it a powerful tool for different types of applications. [14:06] Challenges and best practices in Blazor development. [16:26] The decision to make Blazor official and its impact on the .NET ecosystem. [18:12] The evolution of Blazor Server vs. Blazor WebAssembly and why both are still relevant. [21:06] When to use Blazor Static, Blazor Server, or Blazor WebAssembly, based on project needs. [24:17] The tendency for technologists to be critics without actually using the technologies. [34:36] The advantages of Octane and why it streamlines Blazor development. [39:56] The TrailBlazor Conference.   Mentioned in this Episode: Clear Measure Way Architect Forum Software Engineer Forum Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net. Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon! Jeffrey Palermo’s Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events! Devessence Shaun on X DNN Software GitHub Oqtane Philosophy ErrorBoundary and Logging in Blazor Oqtane TrailBlazor Conference   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.