Monthly Archives: November 2020

Clear Measure (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook!

The Azure DevOps Podcast's Twitter: @AzureDevOpsShow

Jeffrey Palermo's Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events!

Paul Sheriff's Website (PDSA.com)

Paul Sheriff on GitHub

Paul Sheriff on Pluralsight

Paul Sheriff's Email: psheriff@pdsa.com

Azure DevOps Podcast: "Paul Sheriff on How to be an Architect — Episode 77"

Azure DevOps Podcast: "James Grenning on Test-Driven Development — Episode 114"

Blazor

Want to Learn More?

Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Download this episode (MP3, 40:23, 77.5 MB)

Jeffrey Palermo 3:00 am on November 23, 2020

Scott Nichols on the State of Azure - Part 2 - Episode 116

This episode is part 2 of the interview with Scott Nichols! Be sure to tune in to part 1 first before joining in on this episode's conversation.

Scott Nichols is a Sr. Cloud Solutions Architect, Scott works for the commercial enterprise division serving the west region. He is also the leader of the .NET and the Azure user groups in Boise, Idaho. He started his career in the IT profession in 1993 as a mainframe and web developer. Since then, he has served as a Lead Software Engineer/Solution Architect, a Software Development Engineering Manager, a Sr. Cloud Software Solution Architect, a Sr. Enterprise Solution Architect, and of course, most recently, a Sr. Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft since 2019.

In this second part, the interview transitions from discussing the state of Azure and the Cloud industry into talking about how customers are modernizing their existing applications and infrastructure for Azure. Scott shares about infrastructure as code tools he sees as having the most traction right now, his recommendations for those looking to get their application into Azure, and what he sees as being the most successful pathways for his customers utilizing Azure infrastructure.

Topics of Discussion:

[:38] Be sure to visit AzureDevOps.Show for past episodes and show notes.

[1:01] About The Azure DevOps Podcast and Jeffrey's offer to speak at virtual user groups.

[1:11] Clear Measure is hiring! Be sure to check out the link in the show notes.

[1:33] Jeffrey welcomes Scott back to the podcast for part 2 and shares about this episode's conversation.

[2:06] The infrastructure as code tools Scott sees as having the most traction.

[4:35] Does Scott have any customers that have used Azure Bicep yet?

[4:56] How Scott thinks about Azure infrastructure and what he sees as being most successful with his customers.

[7:42] For certain tweaks in the infrastructure, where does an ARM template work?

[9:45] What is the mechanism in Azure that would know that the Powershell script has not been run yet or has already been run so that it doesn't run it again?

[11:07] A word from Azure DevOps Podcast's sponsor: Clear Measure.

[11:38] For people looking to get their application into Azure, what would Scott recommend their next steps be?

[20:37] Jeffrey thanks Scott for joining the podcast and Scott offers some parting words of advice for developers.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook!

The Azure DevOps Podcast's Twitter: @AzureDevOpsShow

Jeffrey Palermo's Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events!

Scott Nichols' LinkedIn

Scott Nichols' Twitter @TheScottNichols

Azure Architecture Center - Microsoft

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Azure Architectures - Microsoft Docs

Google Cloud (GCP)

Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)

Azure Bicep on GitHub

.NET Conference 2020

Python

Terraform

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)

CICD

PowerShell

HashiCorp

Want to Learn More?

Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Download this episode (MP3, 23:05, 22.2 MB)

Jeffrey Palermo 3:00 am on November 16, 2020

Scott Nichols on the State of Azure - Part 1 - Episode 115

Joining Jeffrey is Scott Nichols, a Sr. Cloud Architect at Microsoft, to discuss the state of Azure.

As a Sr. Cloud Solutions Architect, Scott works for the commercial enterprise division serving the west region. He is also the leader of the .NET and the Azure user groups in Boise, Idaho.

Scott started his career in the IT profession in 1993 as a mainframe and web developer. Since then, he has served as a Lead Software Engineer/Solution Architect, a Software Development Engineering Manager, a Sr. Cloud Software Solution Architect, a Sr. Enterprise Solution Architect, and of course, most recently, a Sr. Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft since 2019.

In their conversation today, they discuss the state of Azure. Scott compares and contrasts Azure and AWS, .NET vs. other major frameworks; shares about the most important languages developers should be learning today; what is currently state-of-the-art when it comes to infrastructure as code; and much more!

This is part one of a two-part interview with Scott Nichols, so be sure to tune in next week to catch the second half of the conversation!

Topics of Discussion:

[:38] Be sure to visit AzureDevOps.Show for past episodes and show notes.

[:46] About The Azure DevOps Podcast and Jeffrey's offer to speak at virtual user groups.

[1:11] Clear Measure is hiring! Be sure to check out the link in the show notes.

[1:31] About today's episode with Scott Nichols.

[1:55] Jeffrey welcomes Scott to the podcast!

[2:15] Scott shares about his career background and what has led to his current role as Sr. Cloud Architect at Microsoft.

[6:59] Scott talks about Microsoft's Patterns and Practices team.

[9:23] Where to find the specific reference architectures Scott mentioned.

[10:19] Scott compares and contrasts Azure and AWS.

[14:45] A word from Azure DevOps Podcast's sponsor: Clear Measure.

[15:17] Talking .NET in general and the breadth of .NET vs. other major frameworks.

[18:32] Is it true that 31% of the entirety of the internet is .NET?

[19:05] The most important languages Scott thinks developers should learn.

[19:31] Scott is helping commercial customers to modernize their .NET apps so that they can run in Azure. Is there a formula or a generic process that Scott follows in particular?

[24:48] Why are there so many Solution Architects out there right now?

[25:36] Scott shares what he believes is currently state of the art when it comes to infrastructure as code and what falls into place nicely now vs. does not.

[30:08] Be sure to tune in next week for part 2 of the interview!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook!

The Azure DevOps Podcast's Twitter: @AzureDevOpsShow

Jeffrey Palermo's Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events!

Scott Nichols' LinkedIn

Scott Nichols' Twitter @TheScottNichols

Azure Architecture Center - Microsoft

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Azure Architectures - Microsoft Docs

Google Cloud (GCP)

Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)

Azure Bicep on GitHub

.NET Conference 2020

Python

Terraform

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)

CICD

Want to Learn More?

Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Download this episode (MP3, 30:45, 29.5 MB)

Jeffrey Palermo 3:00 am on November 9, 2020

James Grenning on Test-Driven Development - Episode 114

James Grenning joins the podcast this episode to discuss test-driven development.

James is one of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto. His specialties include test-driven development and embedded software going deep in C-based embedded technologies. At his company Wingman Software, he coaches and trains developers to deliver more. With deadlines to meet, quality goals to meet, and customers to satisfy, a developer's day can often be packed to the brim with little time for investigating better ways to develop — this is where Wingman Software comes in. They offer training, coaching, consulting, and workshops for developers and teams looking to accelerate their progress and reach a new level of performance.

In this episode, James speaks about where test-driven development is today, how it has changed over the decades and his key advice for transitioning to TDD. He also shares some fun tips, from ZOMBIES guiding you through the process of TDD to the secrets of how to become a highly productive team or developer!

Topics of Discussion:

[:38] Be sure to visit AzureDevOps.Show for past episodes and show notes.

[:46] About The Azure DevOps Podcast and Jeffrey's offer to speak at virtual user groups.

[1:11] Clear Measure is hiring! Be sure to check out the link in the show notes.

[1:22] About today's episode with James Grenning.

[1:43] Jeffrey welcomes James to the podcast!

[1:56] James speaks about what it was like at the turn of the millennium when conversations were just starting and the Agile Manifesto was only an idea in a few people's heads.

[6:45] For developers and teams that want to be highly productive, how does James explain the arguments that pit speed and quality against each other?

[10:00] For new developers and those who have never done test-driven development before, when would James recommend that they start? And how should they get started? Why should they get started?

[18:32] How ZOMBIES can guide you through the process of test-driven development!

[20:38] A word from Azure DevOps Podcast's sponsor: Clear Measure.

[21:10] James shares his thought process around managing dependencies.

[23:09] The three critical skills of refactoring.

[24:21] Why James thinks mob programming and paired programming is really powerful.

[24:40] James highlights a key piece of The Agile Manifesto.

[25:45] How should a developer be thinking about the process of pulling in a new library?

[31:00] For developers who have either inherited a piece of software or have been working with a system for a long time, what would James say is the most effective way to start transitioning to test-driven development?

[39:33] James gives some parting words and advice about TDD.

[41:17] Jeffrey thanks James for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook!

The Azure DevOps Podcast's Twitter: @AzureDevOpsShow

Jeffrey Palermo's Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events!

James Grenning's Blog

James Grenning's Blog: "TDD Guided by ZOMBIES"

James Grenning's Twitter @JWGrenning

Wingman Software

Wingman Software: Test-Driven Development for C or C++ Training | Remotely Delivered via Web-Meeting

The Agile Manifesto

Managing the Software Process, by Watts S. Humphrey

Extreme Programming

History: The Agile Manifesto

Kevlin Henney: "Old is the New New"

Want to Learn More?

Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.

Download this episode (MP3, 41:59, 40.3 MB)

Jeffrey Palermo 3:00 am on November 2, 2020

Colin Pear on How to Be a .NET Architect - Episode 113

Today's guest is none other than, Colin Pear — the Director of Engineering at Skimmer!

Colin is an NServiceBus Champion, an open-source contributor, and a recent Clear Measure alumnus (where he previously held the positions of Chief Architect and Principal Software Architect up until September 2020). In his current position at Skimmer, he runs the .NET software engineering department.

In this episode, Colin shares some invaluable tips on how to become a .NET architect, how to stay focused and effective in a leadership position, and how to effectively run a team as an architect. Colin also shares his thoughts on where to invest your time as a developer, shares about a current project of his, and gives some advice to developers looking to take on a leadership role in the future.

Topics of Discussion:

[:38] Be sure to visit AzureDevOps.Show for past episodes and show notes.

[:46] About The Azure DevOps Podcast, Jeffrey's offer to speak at virtual user groups, and his newest endeavor: a video podcast, Architect Tips!

[1:33] About today's episode with Colin Pear.

[1:55] Jeffrey welcomes Colin to the podcast!

[2:05] Colin introduces himself and shares about his development journey.

[4:28] Colin shares how he transitioned from a developer role to leading in an architect position.

[6:24] Colin demystifies and simplifies some developer job titles for those new to the industry.

[9:04] When Colin was slinging code all day, every day, did he always think he wanted to code for his entire life?

[11:52] Colin and Jeffrey talk about what it's like to get into the higher levels of working with a team (such as an architect, manager, etc.) Colin also touches on some of the key characteristics that are important to have if you are taking on a leadership position.

[15:15] When Colin is working on larger projects or multiple different projects, how does he time-slice his focus and stay effective when he doesn't know every line of code in every codebase?

[17:30] Colin busts the myths of the non-coding architect and those who say, "Architects don't code, therefore they don't know what they're talking about!" Colin also shares about a project of his, BlazorComponentBus.

[22:32] A word from Azure DevOps Podcast's sponsor: Clear Measure.

[23:02] Jeffrey and Colin further discuss Colin's project, BlazorComponentBus.

[24:20] Where to find BlazorComponentBus.

[24:51] Colin shares some advice on running a team as an architect and how to know which software and tech to invest time into as a developer and which to run away from.

[31:12] Colin shares his thoughts and observations on microservices.

[34:15] Colin shares some parting advice for developers looking to take on more leadership in the future.

[36:22] Jeffrey thanks Colin for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook!