Blue Blazes

In this podcast episode, host Jonathan “J.” Tower speaks with Carson Gross, creator of htmx, about simplifying web development with hypermedia-based design. Carson shares the story behind htmx, a JavaScript library that enhances HTML for interactivity without the need for complex JavaScript frameworks. Tune in to learn how htmx can help you simplify your web development through its easy-to-use extensions to HTML that power AJAX-driven interactions.

Guest Bio:

Carson Gross is a software developer, educator, and author with a passion for web development and hypermedia. He is the Principal at Big Sky Software and teaches Computer Science at Montana State University. Carson is co-author of the book Hypermedia Systems, which explores building distributed applications with hypermedia, using tools like htmx.

In this episode, host Jonathan “J.” Tower speaks with Steve Sanderson and Javier Calvarro Nelson about Blazor, a web UI framework for .NET. They explore the various capabilities of Blazor, including its support for WebAssembly, server-side rendering, and mobile applications via .NET MAUI. Steve and Javier discuss the different modes Blazor can operate in, such as server, WebAssembly, and auto mode, and how these modes enhance flexibility and performance. They also delve into the challenges and solutions related to SEO, security, and state management in Blazor applications. Tune in to learn how Blazor can help you build versatile and efficient web applications using .NET.

Guest Bios:

Steve Sanderson is a developer/architect on the .NET team at Microsoft. He’s worked on web applications and frameworks for most of his career, creating one of the original popular SPA frameworks (knockout.js) and later Blazor, the leading .NET web UI framework.

Javier Calvarro Nelson is a Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft with over a decade of experience working on ASP.NET and Blazor. He has been a key developer on the Blazor project since its inception, making significant contributions across all its variants: Server, WebAssembly, and Hybrid. Additionally, he has enhanced the ASP.NET ecosystem with features such as Razor Class Libraries, Static Assets support, and Static Server-Side Rendering for Blazor applications. Javier is passionate about creating innovative solutions that empower developers to achieve their goals.

In this episode, host Jonathan “J.” Tower speaks with Luis Quintanilla about ML.NET, an open-source, cross-platform machine learning framework within the .NET ecosystem. They delve into the capabilities of ML.NET, including building data transformation pipelines and training custom models. Luis explains how ML.NET simplifies the machine learning process for .NET developers, making it accessible without needing extensive data science expertise. Tune in to learn how ML.NET can help you incorporate machine learning into your .NET applications efficiently and effectively.

Guest Bio:

Luis Quintanilla is a Program Manager at Microsoft, based in New York, with a deep focus on machine learning and software development. He currently works on ML.NET, helping .NET developers train, test, and use machine learning models in their applications. Outside of work, he enjoys experimenting with different technologies and sharing his insights with the broader tech community.

In this episode, host Jonathan "J." Tower speaks with Neal about architectural fitness functions and how they can serve as unit tests for your software architecture. They explore how incorporating fitness functions into your development process ensures that your system's architectural characteristics remain consistent and reliable over time. They also look at why automating these checks allows you to catch deviations early and maintain a high standard of quality in your projects.

Guest Bio:
Neal Ford is a Director and Software Architect at Thoughtwork and an internationally recognized expert in software development, focusing on agile engineering techniques and software architecture. Neal has authored nine books including Fundamentals of Software Architecture and Building Evolutionary Architectures. You can find him sharing his expertise at software events around the world as well as on his website, nealford.com.

In this episode of Blue Blazes, host Jonathan "J." Tower speaks with Jimmy Bogard about vertical slice architecture (VSA) and how using it in your software projects can help make them more predictably successful. We delve into how VSA organizes your code by feature, allowing you to more easily and reliably make the most common type of changes to your application.

Guest Bio:

Jimmy Bogard is best known for his contributions to open-source software, particularly as the creator of AutoMapper and MediatR. Jimmy is an independent consultant and partner at Solliance, where he helps enterprises build robust and scalable software solutions. He is a 15-time recipient of the Microsoft MVP award. You can find him at many events around the world sharing his expertise.

In this episode of Blue Blazes, host Jonathan "J." Tower speaks with Mark Richards about how architecture decision records can improve your software development process. You might know Mark from his books. 

This episode includes lots of ground, including:

Guest Bio:

Mark is the author of Fundamentals of Software Architecture, Software Architecture: The Hard Parts, and Head First Software Architecture, which he co-authored with Neal Ford. Mark is the founder of DeveloperToArchitect.com, a free website devoted to helping developers on their journey to becoming a software architect. He has spoken at hundreds of conferences and user groups around the world and is an experienced software architect involved in the architecture, design, and implementation of microservices architectures and other distributed systems in a variety of technologies.

In this episode of Blue Blazes, host Jonathan "J." Tower speaks with Mike Hartington from Ionic about the ins and outs of hybrid mobile app development. Mike, an expert in mobile development, gives listeners a great overview of why you would want to explore building your applications as hybrid apps instead of native apps.

A few of the topics covered include:

About Today's Blue Blazes Guest

Mike Hartington is a developer, Angular GDE, and Director of Developer Advocacy at Ionic who’s been working in the mobile landscape for most of his professional career.

When he’s not working on Ionic itself, Mike works with community members and helps them succeed at mobile. In his spare time, he’s an aspiring woodworker, occasional musician, and craft beer lover.

In this podcast episode, host Jonathan "J." Tower speaks with Olivia Liddell from AWS about the intricacies of serverless computing.

Olivia, a seasoned solutions architect, demystifies serverless technology, emphasizing its practicality and the mindset shift required for effective use.

Key insights shared in the conversation include:

In this podcast episode, Cecilia discusses the nuances of low-code and no-code solutions with Blue Blazes host, J. Tower. She explains that low-code is just another abstraction layer that allows developers to build applications visually within a development environment.

Cecelia distinguishes low-code from no-code solutions, highlighting the flexibility and scalability that low-code platforms offer. She also addresses common misconceptions about low-code, emphasizing its applicability even to experienced developers who appreciate its ability to abstract complexity. Finally, she touches on the role of AI in enhancing low-code solutions, envisioning a future where AI accelerates software development processes even more.

Throughout the conversation, the guest and host both provide insights into the benefits, challenges, and future prospects of low-code development.

About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest:

Cecelia Martinez is a Lead Developer Advocate at OutSystems, a leading low-code development platform.

She is passionate about open-source developer tools and helping developers improve some of the most frustrating parts of their work – like testing, debugging, mobile deployments, and fighting with YAML. She is known for her work at companies like Ionic, Replay, and Cypress, as well as her efforts to build inclusive developer communities. She is a volunteer and organizer with many groups in the Atlanta area and a former GitHub Star.

Giving the right users appropriate access to technology resources is Data Security 101. For security purposes, you may want to utilize a framework of policies and technologies known as identity and access management (IAM). Join us on today’s journey and see how using a third-party provider for IAM can help make your software projects more predictably successful.

In this episode, we’re covering:

· The first steps for implementing IAM

· Stability of third-party IAM implementations

· Zero trust architecture (ZTA)

· Innovations that are making MFA easier for users

Corey Weathers graciously stops by Blue Blazes and shares insights about IAM, Okta, and more. During his chat with host J. Tower, Corey gives thoughts on when not to use an IAM solution, different UI platforms that can allow developers to take advantage of SSO services, and what you may need to give up when using a third-party IAM in exchange for its benefits.

About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest

Corey Weathers is passionate about sharing the magic of software, and he does a lot of that sharing in his role as the Americas Developer Relations Lead at Auth0 (now a division of Okta). Whether speaking at tech conferences or meetups, building apps live on Twitch, or appearing on a podcast, Corey is always thinking about how to inspire and equip other developers.

Corey has also worked in software development roles for Microsoft, Twilio, the U.S. government, and other organizations. He earned a B.S. in Systems & Computer science from Howard University and holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. While he might be a native New Yorker at heart, Corey is proud to call Pennsylvania home with his kids.