.NET Rocks!

In this engaging discussion, Mark Miller, Chief Architect of the IDE Tools Division at Developer Express and a Microsoft MVP, shares his insights on enhancing coding with AI. He highlights the new voice-driven AI features in CodeRush that aim to streamline development workflows. The talk dives into the rapid evolution of software development, reflecting on how AI can enable developers to solve problems faster and improve coding accuracy. Mark also addresses the balance between manual coding and AI assistance, showcasing the future potential of these tools.

Seth Juarez, an AI expert from Microsoft, breaks down the intriguing concept of agentic AI, sharing how it can revolutionize development. He discusses the power of tools like MCP and NLWeb for inter-agent collaboration while addressing the challenges of managing these systems. The conversation dives into the technical underpinnings of agentic AI, touching on the limitations and the necessity for proper governance. They also explore the innovative ways prompts can influence AI responses, showcasing the evolving landscape of coding with AI.

Meet Matt Steele, a Georgia Tech grad focusing on AI, Gheida Omar, an innovator empowering girls in STEM, and Daniel Kim, a Stanford student merging math with neuroscience. They share projects that won accolades at the Imagine Cup. Gheida's Signverse app breaks communication barriers with real-time translation, while Matt's Hair Match focuses on hair care for textured hair. Daniel's Argus, a winner in the competition, offers assistive technology for those with visual impairments, showcasing remarkable innovation driven by personal passion.

Nicole Forsgren, a renowned expert in DevOps and developer productivity, shares insights on eliminating friction in software development. She discusses her upcoming book and the significant role of AI tools in workflow enhancement. The conversation dives into DORA insights that reshape software delivery, emphasizing the importance of culture and collaboration. Forsgren also highlights the balance between automation and creativity among junior developers, addressing challenges such as technical debt in today's rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Debbie O'Brien, a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft and Google developer expert, dives into the transformative features of Playwright MCP. She discusses how AI integration can streamline web testing, even illustrating how to automate test creation using large language models. The conversation highlights the balance between automated and manual testing, explores security challenges in cloud platforms, and introduces the playful concept of 'vibe coding' as a fresh approach in software development. Debbie's insights showcase the future of automated testing in an engaging manner.

How will coding agents change your code? While at Build, Carl and Richard chatted with Scott Hunter about the announcements around coding agents at the keynote. Scott talks about the agent mode available in Visual Studio Code - and now in Visual Studio! Agent mode allows the LLM to evaluate the code across an entire solution, not just the file you're currently looking at. You can create a workflow where GitHub issues are assigned to the agent, which then generates code and provides a pull request for evaluation. The agents are here and helping us do more!

What if you could use ElasticSearch serverless? While at Build, Carl and Richard chatted with Ken Exner about the new announcements around Elastic providing serverless storage and search! Ken talks about paying for only the data you move and store with serverless, rather than needing to operate any infrastructure for Elastic. The conversation digs into the potential of Elastic in Azure AI Foundry to provide ultra-fast access to current company data for your LLM implementations. Elastic did vector databases before LLMs made them essential for RAG - and you can take advantage of it!

Chris Woodruff, a seasoned software developer and Microsoft MVP in .NET, joins the conversation to unravel the intricacies of networking in C#. He dives into essential topics like web sockets, gRPC, and SignalR, highlighting their applications. The discussion also touches on the transformative QUIC standards in HTTP/3, which aim to simplify networking. Woodruff encourages listeners to explore various networking options beyond the defaults, emphasizing the importance of understanding foundational protocols for modern applications.

Join Erwin van der Valk, Principal Engineer at Duende Software and expert in web security, as he unravels the complexities of securing browser-based frontends using ASP.NET Core backends. He highlights the Backend for Frontend (BFF) pattern, addressing challenges with diverse clients and OAuth 2.0. The discussion dives into user role management, centralized authorization, and critical web application security strategies. Erwin emphasizes the importance of access token management and advanced authorization tactics to protect modern applications from vulnerabilities.

Steve Smith, a passionate entrepreneur and Microsoft ASP.NET MVP, joins to discuss the intricate dance between architecture and code. He shares insights on adapting architectural strategies based on team size, the importance of tackling over-design, and how modern tools facilitate better choices. Steve also highlights the challenges of effective refactoring and balancing development freedom with architectural integrity. Tune in for a conversation that blends technical depth with practical wisdom in software development!