Sean Deasy

One of the best ways for a software developer to keep up to date with all the new technologies is to listen to podcasts. I find podcasts a great to keep up to date on the latest .net technologies while I’m commuting to work.

Here is my list of top five .net related podcasts that every .net developer should be listening to in order to keep up to date:

HanselMinutes
This is my favorite .net podcast of all. It is presented by Scott Hanselman and Carl Franklin and they discuss .net related topics. Some shows are about the latest .net tools and other shows are interviews with .net experts. The shows are produced very professionally and the quality is top notch. Each show is only around 20-30 minutes so there is no waffle just great info!

Hanselminutes is a weekly audio talk show with noted web developer and technologist Scott Hanselman and hosted by Carl Franklin. Scott discusses utilities and tools, gives practical how-to advice, and discusses ASP.NET or Windows issues and workarounds.

http://www.hanselminutes.com/

Dot Net Rocks
Dot Net Rocks has been around for many years with their first show produced in 2002. It is a weekly talk show for anyone interested in programming on the Microsoft .NET platform. The show is hosted by Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell and most of the shows are interviews with .NET experts. The shows are typically slightly over 1 hour and have very good content.
http://www.dotnetrocks.com

ArCast
Arcast is a podcast about design and software architecture. If you are a team lead/architect or just generally interested in system design in the .NET space then you should tune in. It is hosted by Ron Jacobs and since 2005 he has been interviewing architects around the globe for the show.
http://www.skyscrapr.net/blogs/arcasts/

Polymorphic Podcast
Polymorphic Podcast is hosted by Craig Shoemaker and deals with a wide range of .NET topics and interviews with .NET experts from around the globe.
http://www.polymorphicpodcast.com/

ASP.NET Podcast
The ASP.NET podcast (as the name suggests) is more focused on the ASP.NET and is hosted by Wally McClure. So if you are interested in ASP.NET, Ajax, JSON, etc. then this is the show for you.
http://aspnetpodcast.com/CS11/

If you haven’t caught on to the great benefits of podcasts I seriously suggest that you subscribe to the podcasts and start listening. At a time when there is a huge amount of new technologies / products being released this is a great way to say up to date.

Let me know what you think!
Do you listen to these podcasts already ? Are there other great .NET podcasts that I missed?

The latest version of Microsoft’s answer to VMWare Workstation is now available. Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is now available to download for free. I am a huge fan of virtualization and I use VMWare Workstation on a daily basis during the software development process. I hope to post more in the future on how I use VMWare Workstation.

Virtual PC lets you create separate virtual machines on your Windows desktop, each of which virtualizes the hardware of a complete physical computer. Use virtual machines to run operating systems such as MS-DOS, Windows, and OS/2. You can run multiple operating systems at once on a single physical computer and switch between them as easily as switching applications—instantly, with a mouse click. Virtual PC is perfect for any scenario in which you need to support multiple operating systems, whether you use it for tech support, legacy application support, training, or just for consolidating physical computers.

Download Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

Excellent article about providing first class customer service in the software industry from Joel — he should know, he runs his own successful software company.

Seven steps to remarkable customer service

Here are seven things we learned about providing remarkable customer service. I’m using the word remarkable literally—the goal is to provide customer service so good that people remark.