MICROSOFT BUILD 2024

Watch it Live! or On-Demand – Starting Next Tuesday!

Next week, from May 21st, I’ll be diving into Microsoft Build 2024, and I invite you to come along for the ride—virtually! We’ll explore cutting-edge developments in Visual Studio, Azure, and AI development from wherever we are, no travel required. It’s your chance to join live discussions and connect with tech enthusiasts from around the world, all from your home or office.

This year, I’m particularly excited about charting new paths with AI and copilots. Whether you’re looking to boost your efficiency, secure your projects, or simply expand your tech horizons, the keynotes and breakout sessions are set to deliver. And if you have questions, the experts—yes, the real wizards behind Microsoft’s innovations—will be there to answer them in the session chat rooms.

To give you a head start, I’ve shared a few of the sessions I plan to attend below. Hopefully, they’ll inspire your own choices as you start building your ‘Session Planner’ today.

Must See Sessions at Build 2024:

• Microsoft Build Opening Keynote: Join Satya Nadella, Rajesh Jha, and Kevin Scott on Tuesday, May 21, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM PDT. Learn how this era of AI will unlock new opportunities, transform how developers work, and drive business productivity across industries.
• Next Generation AI for Developers with the Microsoft Cloud: Join Scott Guthrie and leaders across Microsoft on Wednesday, May 22, from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM PDT. Learn how to build secure and responsible AI solutions with the foundation of the Microsoft Cloud. Featuring a fireside chat with John Lambert and Julia Liuson to learn what you can do to create secure solutions in today’s threat landscape.
• Maximize Joy, Minimize Toil with Great Developer Experiences: Join Amanda Silver and friends on Tuesday, May 21, from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM PDT. At Microsoft, enhancing the developer experience is central to our mission. In this session, delve into the latest advancements in developer tools and learn about our collaborative efforts across the technology spectrum. Discover how these innovations are shaping the development of modern, intelligent apps.

Visual Studio at Build 2024:

Browse all the Build sessions online, but here’s a sampling of some of the Visual Studio sessions that will offer an in-depth look into what we’re currently developing and enhancing, with a strong technical focus:

• What’s New in GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio: Explore enhancements in AI-assisted coding with Damian Brady and Filisha Shah on Wednesday, May 22, from 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM PDT. GitHub Copilot is your AI coding assistant, and when paired with Visual Studio, so much more! We’ll take you through tips and tricks, special integrations, and other recent enhancements to make sure you’re getting the most out of GitHub Copilot, including things that you can only do with Visual Studio.
• Build Apps from the Cloud with Microsoft Dev Box, Visual Studio & More: Dive into cloud-native development with Anthony Cangialosi and Denizhan Yigitbas on Tuesday, May 21, from 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM PDT. Learn how to unify ready-to-code development environments with best-in-class dev tools to deliver an unparalleled coding experience for building intelligent applications and more. Give developers the flexibility to use the tools they want within IT guardrails and enable self-service by integrating Microsoft Dev Box with top-tier developer tools like Visual Studio and GitHub Copilot. Plus, streamline test environment provisioning with Azure Deployment Environments.
• Demystify Cloud-Native Development with .NET Aspire: Damian Edwards and David Fowler will introduce you to .NET Aspire on Wednesday, May 22, from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM PDT, focusing on tools and components for building intelligent cloud services. Explore the groundbreaking .NET Aspire technology stack designed for cloud-native development. We’ll explore the Orchestration, Components, Tooling and more. We’ll even show you how to integrate the Azure Open AI component to add intelligent functionality to your distributed services.
• .NET Aspire Development on Any OS with the Visual Studio Family: Discover the flexibility of .NET Aspire with Wendy Breiding and Brady Gaster on Wednesday, May 22, from 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM PDT, including seamless Azure integration. Explore the core features of .NET Aspire and how it enhances the developer experience for building cloud-native applications. This session will demonstrate building .NET Aspire apps with Visual Studio and VS Code, so you can choose the best tool for your workflow. We’ll then cover Azure Developer CLI (AZD) integration and the “azd up” experience, showcasing how .NET Aspire and AZD work together to seamlessly move your locally-running app to the cloud!
• What’s New in C# 13: Mads Torgersen and Dustin Campbell will reveal the latest features in C# 13 on Thursday, May 23, from 8:30 AM to 9:15 AM PDT. Join Mads and Dustin as they show off a long list of features and improvements coming in C# 13. This year brings long-awaited new features like extensions and field access in auto-properties, as well as a revamped approach to breaking changes to ensure cleaner language evolution in years to come. Additionally, we take collection expressions to the next level by facilitating dictionary creation and opening params to new collection types.
• Infusing Your .NET Apps with AI: Practical Tools and Techniques: Join Vin Kamat, Luis Quintanilla, and Stephen Toub on Thursday, May 23, from 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM PDT. Learn how to incorporate AI into your .NET applications using tools, libraries, and best practices. This session will demonstrate practical examples of leveraging Azure AI services and the .NET AI ecosystem to create “intelligent apps.” Ideal for developers looking to enhance their apps with advanced AI capabilities.
• Diagnostic Techniques for .NET Running on Linux and Within Containers: Join Mark Downie and Sam Spencer for a pre-recorded session available on Monday, May 21, from 8:30 AM PDT. Learn the essential tips and tricks for diagnosing .NET applications running on Linux and within container environments such as Kubernetes. From local diagnostics in WSL to debug sidecars, this session will unveil how .NET has tools designed to help you tackle the trickiest diagnostic challenges. Discover diagnostic techniques that enhance your ability to maintain robust, efficient applications across diverse environments.

For Hanselman Fans

• Scott and Mark Learn AI: Join Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich on Wednesday, May 22, from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM PDT. Learn how to use AI tools to make smarter apps on Windows. You will learn how to use AI in your app, consume models both local and in the cloud, and how to use LLMs to make your apps even more awesome for users. They may even clean up Scott’s messy desktop that has been bothering Mark for some time now.
• “Highly Technical Talk” with Hanselman and Toub: Don’t miss Scott Hanselman and Stephen Toub for a 100% LIVE demo session on Thursday, May 23, from 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM PDT. With zero slides and just code, they’ll dive deep into the internals of .NET, tackling performance issues and optimizations live on stage. This session is perfect for advanced developers looking to level up their debugging and performance skills using Microsoft’s own tools.
• Level Up Your Dev Box, How Devs at Microsoft are Productive on Windows: Join Scott Hanselman, Vicky Harp, and Maddy Montaquila on Wednesday, May 22, from 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM PDT. Discover how Microsoft developers enhance their productivity through custom setups and tools. This session will showcase a variety of tips, including using aliases, the best VS Code extensions, customizing the Windows Terminal, and efficient ways to set up new computers. Learn valuable shortcuts, apps, and systems to optimize your development workflow.

In-Person Only Demos – These demos are available only in Seattle and will not be recorded.

For those of you joining us in Seattle, you’ll want to catch these live demos in the Demo Theaters on Level 5.

• Tips & Tricks for Visual Studio and GitHub: Join Harshada Hole and Jessie Houghton for an exclusive demo session on Tuesday, May 21, from 4:45 PM to 5:00 PM PDT. Discover how to unlock the full potential of Visual Studio with expert tips and tricks. Learn to enhance your workflow by integrating powerful community extensions for peak efficiency.
• What’s New for Copilot in Visual Studio 17.10: Catch Rhea Patel on Thursday, May 23, from 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM PDT for a demo on enhancing your Copilot chat experience in Visual Studio. This session will showcase cutting-edge generative AI applications, including a new interaction model and context improvements in Copilot Chat. Note:
• VisualStudio.Com – Unlocking Your Benefits & Diamond:  Jacqueline Widdis will show you the power of using My.VisualStudio.com to unlock free benefits for Visual Studio developers on Wednesday, May 22, from 5:45 PM to 6:00 PM PDT. Learn about all the benefits included in your Visual Studio Subscription through a demo-filled tour. Discover how to easily access Azure credits, software downloads, training resources, and support to maximize your development potential.
• Customize Dev Box for You and Your Team: Join Dhruv Muttaraju and David Obando on Wednesday, May 22, from 3:30 PM to 3:45 PM PDT. Learn how to configure and deploy customized Dev Boxes, tailored to the specific needs of individual teams, at scale using config-as-code templates and leveraging package management.
• Microsoft Dev Box for Accessibility: On Wednesday, May 22, from 5:00 PM to 5:15 PM PDT, explore how to build Dev Boxes that cater to accessibility needs. This session will introduce the new config-as-code customization starters that showcase all the accessibility options available, ensuring your Dev Box is as comfortable and familiar as your local environment.

Ready to join thousands of developers at Build 2024? Don’t miss out on these exciting sessions and more! Click the link below to register today and secure your spot to experience Build 2024 virtually, alongside a global community of developers. Embrace the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow at this incredible event!

Register for Build 2024 and Join Us Online for Free!

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