.NET Rocks!

What's coming in C#14? Carl and Richard chat with Dustin Campbell about the next version of C#, discussing what it takes to continue advancing software development in the Microsoft ecosystem. Dustin discusses how features are selected from version to version, including long-developed features like extension members, which have been in development for years. The conversation also turns to Razor Pages, which Dustin helps contribute to, and the dynamic of what should be language, what should be framework, and what should be tooling. And there's much more to come!

How has application security evolved over the decades? Carl and Richard talk to Michael Howard about his experiences working in security at Microsoft. Michael discusses his current role as a member of the Red Team at Microsoft, which identifies security vulnerabilities within the organization by creating scenarios that black hats might employ, such as stealing tokens or hijacking financial transactions. The conversation examines how security continues to evolve, with improved tools, new attack surfaces, and increasingly serious attacks. It's an arms race, but one the good guys can win!

How has application security evolved over the decades? Carl and Richard talk to Michael Howard about his experiences working in security at Microsoft. Michael discusses his current role as a member of the Red Team at Microsoft, which identifies security vulnerabilities within the organization by creating scenarios that black hats might employ, such as stealing tokens or hijacking financial transactions. The conversation examines how security continues to evolve, with improved tools, new attack surfaces, and increasingly serious attacks. It's an arms race, but one the good guys can win!

Can you improve a legacy application? What's the right way to go about it? Carl and Richard talk with Billy Hollis about his work updating legacy applications, starting with the most essential question: should you? Billy begins by defining what it means to be a legacy application and how, invariably, these applications are critical to the organization, so you have to tread lightly. Typically, the focus is on modernizing the client-side of the app, which brings us to the crux of the matter: Are the workflows of the company today well reflected in the older application? Lots of great thoughts from one of the longest-serving guests of .NET Rocks!

How can event sourcing help your applications? Carl and Richard speak with Hannes Lowette about his work in helping developers utilize event sourcing patterns to build scalable applications. Hannes discusses moving away from the old habit of decomposing data from objects into rows, columns, and tables, as there's no reason to save that disk space anymore. Storing objects as event streams means you can always generate relational data if needed, but things run faster and scale better in the streams.

Do you have AI concerns? So does Mark Seemann! Carl and Richard chat with Mark about his views on the impact that large language models are having on the development community. Mark starts with the power of ChatGPT to be perceived as a source of truth, which we know isn't true! How does this ultimately impact the development of software? You need sufficient knowledge to assess whether the code generated by these tools is valid, accurate, and appropriate. The tools can also help with the process. We're still in the early days of using AI for information - there's a lot to learn!

Do you have AI concerns? So does Mark Seemann! Carl and Richard chat with Mark about his views on the impact that large language models are having on the development community. Mark starts with the power of ChatGPT to be perceived as a source of truth, which we know isn't true! How does this ultimately impact the development of software? You need sufficient knowledge to assess whether the code generated by these tools is valid, accurate, and appropriate. The tools can also help with the process. We're still in the early days of using AI for information - there's a lot to learn!

How do you build progressive web apps in 2025? Carl and Richard talk to Lemon about his experiences building all sorts of PWAs for customers and entertainment. Lemon discusses going beyond the icon in PWAs and leveraging more powerful features, including service workers. The conversation also digs into some of the crazy talks done over the years, as well as gaming from browsers and more!

How can AI tech help you write better code? Carl and Richard talk to Mark Miller about the latest AI features coming in CodeRush. Mark talks about focusing on a fast and cost-effective AI assistant driven by voice, so you don't have to switch to a different window and type. The conversation delves into the rapid evolution of software development, utilizing AI technologies to accomplish more in less time.

Ready for a great explanation of Agentic AI? For the last show at Build, Carl and Richard sit down with Seth Juarez to dig into what agentic AI really is - and how you can take advantage of it! Seth discusses the potential of MCP and NLWeb to enable agents to work with each other, as well as the challenges of managing these tools effectively. The conversation turns to what's happening under the hood of agentic AI software, including the limitations of its abilities. There is a need for governance and clear thinking with these new development tools!