.NET Rocks!

Dan Delamarsky, a Principal product engineer at Microsoft, shares insights on the GitHub Spec Kit and specification-driven development. He discusses how breaking down tasks into granular specs helps LLMs generate quality code more effectively. Delamarsky emphasizes the importance of refining specifications to keep AI models focused and manageable. The conversation touches on using test-driven loops to complete generated code, the evolving role of developers in overseeing AI outputs, and the challenges of adopting this new approach in software development.

The next version of CSLA is out! Carl and Richard talk to Rocky Lhotka about his business objects framework that pre-dates .NET itself! Rocky discusses the surge in development that occurred for version 9, where a company heavily dependent on CSLA contracted developers to clear some of the backlog. The result is a few new long-term contributors, resulting in an increased development candence and a substantial modernization of the code base. The conversation also turns to AI and its role in development, as well as Rocky's experiments with making an MCP server for CSLA!

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!

You write tests - but are they valuable tests? Carl and Richard talk to Egil Hansen about his approach to creating tests for applications. Egil discusses the types of testing and who they impact. Testing isn't only for you! Valuable tests are also durable, being able to persist between changes where it makes sense, and help to understand when updates are going to create problems. The role of LLMs in generating code comes into play: should AI write your tests, evaluate them, or do both? Lots of great thinking from someone who's been helping developers build better tests for years!

AI in the cloud dominates, but what can you run locally? Carl and Richard speak with Joe Finney about his work in setting up local machine learning models. Joe discusses the non-LLM aspects of machine learning, including the vast array of models available at sites like Hugging Face. These models can help with image recognition, OCR, classifiers, and much more. Local LLMs are also a possibility, but the hardware requirements become more significant - a balance must be found between cost, security, and productivity!

James Montemagno, a Microsoft developer advocate focused on cross-platform .NET and AI tools, shares his insights on the evolution of coding with AI in Visual Studio Code. He contrasts various LLMs like GPT and Claude, explaining their strengths in coding tasks. The discussion dives into 'vibe coding', where AI is harnessed to streamline development while ensuring quality control. Montemagno emphasizes the importance of verifying AI outputs and the shift in developer roles toward greater architectural responsibility. A must-listen for those curious about AI's impact on development!

David Wengier, a principal software engineer at Microsoft, leads the Razor tooling experience for Visual Studio and VS Code. In this chat, he reveals the exciting co-hosting model with Roslyn that turbocharges Razor performance and reliability. David dives into the shared capabilities between Visual Studio and VS Code, enhancing developer tools through the Language Service Protocol. He also shares upcoming improvements in Visual Studio 2026, including faster Hot Reload and bug-fixing guidance, making for a more seamless coding experience.

In this engaging chat, Mads Kristensen, a Program Manager for the Visual Studio team at Microsoft and extension enthusiast, shares exciting developments for the upcoming Visual Studio 2026. He discusses deep AI integration for tasks like code completion and debugging, making the developer experience smoother than ever. The conversation also touches on Visual Studio's role in project management and its seamless integration with cloud services and GitHub, while recalling humorous moments from the past and the evolution of development tools.

In this engaging discussion, Michael Levan, a seasoned engineer and Microsoft MVP, shares insights on the transformation of DevOps in 2025. He highlights how AI tools are streamlining workflows from coding to deployment. Michael also tackles pressing security challenges, including misconfigurations and the importance of maintaining a software bill of materials. His emphasis on collaboration and proactive security measures sets the stage for a future where teams can effectively focus on enhancing customer value.

How did the design of GitHub evolve? Carl and Richard speak with Diana Mounter about her experiences at GitHub, including her role as head of design. Diana discusses how she was drawn to GitHub as a designer and how her career evolved to lead design for the company. The conversation ranges over different design concepts, the Primer design language, and how to effectively combine design and development to achieve great results.