Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with Roderick Rabah, Head of Product at Postman Flows, about the evolution of software development, the intersection of APIs and AI, and finding the "right layer of abstraction" for problem-solving. Drawing on his deep expertise in compiler optimization, distributed systems, and serverless computing, Rabah shares his perspectives on building tools that empower developers to create efficiently and explores the paradigm shift toward visual programming and AI-driven automation.The conversation dives into how Postman is innovating in the software space, how approaches to software engineering are transforming with generative AI, and why embracing new ways of working is critical for staying ahead in this rapidly evolving technological landscape. Key Topics[01:08] Introduction of Roderick Rabah: From research scientist to API innovator[02:14] Evolution of software development: From FPGAs to serverless computing[03:23] APIs and AI: The transformative intersection powering workflows[05:33] The rise of tool-calling and agents: Simplifying backend tasks[07:33] Managing complexity: Why structured APIs make integration seamless[12:08] Visual programming languages: The paradigm shift for developers[16:42] Postman Flows: Building applications through visual workflows[20:24] Embracing generative AI: How senior and junior engineers benefit[29:02] Deploying with WebAssembly: Making cloud integration accessible[30:33] Reflections on the future of technology and its impact on software careersMain TakeawaysAPI + AI Integration: APIs combined with large language models are unlocking new capabilities for software development by abstracting complex operations and enabling automation.Visual Programming Paradigm Shift: Applications are increasingly built using visual workflows where developers focus on intent rather than low-level code implementation, driving efficiency and accessibility.Generative AI Empowerment: Generative AI tools are accelerating the pace of innovation, empowering engineers to fix bugs, streamline workflows, and manage edge cases efficiently.Structured APIs Critical for AI: Thoughtfully designed APIs with proper documentation and safeguards are essential to ensure that autonomous AI agents interact correctly and securely.Accessible Deployment: New runtime frameworks, like serverless with WebAssembly, make it easier for developers to deploy applications across the cloud, enabling broader adoption of AI-driven solutions.Notable Quotes"Serverless is where you think about servers less." – Scott Hanselman"At what point does communicating your intent to AI become programming again?" – Roderick Rabah"Visual programming resonates with builders because it matches the mental model of decomposing problems." – Roderick Rabah"Technology transforms rapidly. You have to figure out how to wield this immense power." – Roderick Rabah"Don’t throw away your critical thinking just because AI makes building faster." – Roderick RabahResources MentionedPostman Flows – Tools for visual programming and API integrations: postman.comReplit – Generative coding platform for automating development tasks: replit.comWebAssembly – Runtime framework for deploying serverless applications: webassembly.orgBooks on Compiler Theory: Suggested resource for expanding understanding of abstractionsFollow along for more insights, tips, and conversations with industry leaders. These show notes summarize key moments in the podcast for easy reference and understanding - these show notes were generated by a custom gpt-4o-nano model trained in previous episodes of Hanselminutes

In this episode, Scott chats with Preeti Somal, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Temporal, to explore how teams at OpenAI, Stripe, Netflix, and beyond are building long-running, crash-proof applications using Temporal's open‑source durable execution engine. Drawing on her leadership roles at HashiCorp, Yahoo!, and VMware, Preeti breaks down the orchestration challenges in today’s AI‑powered agentic architectures, shares how platform engineering, culture, and developer experience interact, and explains the feedback loops that drive platform improvement. She also offers a dive into resilience patterns like retries, state management, and sagas, and shares lessons on scaling engineering organizations through rapid growth.

In this episode Scott talks with Dr. Malc Souter, a computer graphics algorithms PhD and former Hollywood special effects artist, now bringing his rendering expertise to AI at SKY ENGINE AI. They dive deep into the surprising power of synthetic data, exploring when fake can outperform real in areas like medical imaging, defense, and self-driving cars. Malc shares lessons from the visual effects trenches, discusses how custom rendering engines are reshaping machine learning pipelines, and unpacks the nuanced tension between privacy and progress in the age of computer vision.https://www.skyengine.ai

When authors want to talk about their book they go on a book tour and often they go to large companies like Microsoft and speak to us in person. I had the opportunity to interview Dave Berry in person and I jumped at it. I grew up reading his humor column syndicated in The Oregonian, and his brand of sarcasm and dry humor matches mine. This episode is that raw recording in association with and with the permission of Microsoft's Outside in Lecture Series program. He was a lovely gentleman and we enjoyed spending time together, so if it seems like we're picking on each other, we are.Dave Barry's Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass

What does it really take to succeed in today’s fast-paced, innovation-driven world? In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with Earl Valencia—acclaimed tech leader, venture-backed founder, and author of Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to Thrive in an Innovation-Driven and Globally Connected World. Earl brings real-world insights from Silicon Valley, Southeast Asia, and startup scenes around the globe. He talks about the habits, mindsets, and leadership styles that help founders stand out—not just another success story, but a practical guide for anyone trying to build something meaningful. Whether you’re launching a startup, working in tech, or just curious about how big ideas come to life, this conversation will leave you inspired to think bigger and bolder.https://www.startupmindsets.com/book

Ever wonder how AI “sees” high-dimensional data? In this special 1,000th episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with AI expert Pamela Fox about the fascinating world of visualizing complex data. Pamela breaks down how those abstract numbers and vectors can be turned into visuals we can actually understand—basically helping us see how AI thinks. They also talk about the challenge of explaining advanced AI stuff in plain English, and why it matters for devs, data folks, or really anyone curious about what’s going on behind the scenes. If you've ever wanted a peek into the brain of an AI, this is a fun and eye-opening place to start.

What if AI could not only speed up your code reviews—but actually make them fairer? In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with Howon Lee, Senior Software Engineer at CodeRabbit, about how AI is changing the game when it comes to code reviews. They dig into the unspoken dynamics that can pop up in traditional reviews—like how seniority or team politics sometimes matter more than the code itself. Howon shares why AI can be a helpful, unbiased voice that gives everyone clear, consistent feedback, no matter their experience level. They also talk about how tools like CodeRabbit are working to make software development more inclusive and collaborative.http://coderabbit.ai

Learn how to supercharge your AI development with our integrated signals loop that connects model choice, knowledge retrieval, fine-tuning, orchestration and memory —anchored by observability and trust. Design, customize, and manage intelligent agents using open standards and protocols such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) to connect with tools and drive collaboration. Gain insights into advanced orchestration, tracing, and monitoring to streamline decision-making, boost efficiency, accelerate time to market, and lower costs.NOTE - This is a bit of a meta-episode, recorded live at Microsoft Build, this is a discussion about how Scott might use AI to help produce his podcast!Azure AI Foundry: The AI app and Agent Factory | BRK155

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott sits down with AI/ML & Robotics leader Jasmine Lawrence Campbell to explore the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and robotics. Jasmine shares insights on how AI is shaping the future of robotics, the challenges of integrating AI into robotic systems, and why she believes there's a place for everyone in AI. Whether you're a developer, researcher, or simply curious about the intersection of AI and robotics, this conversation offers fresh perspectives on the technology driving automation forward.https://www.jasminelawrence.com

Vibe Coding has folks talking and "vibing entire applications." But is it valid? Should one use AI agents to create apps that go directly into production, or is it just appropriate for prototyping? Scott talks to James Montemagno who recently vibed a 17,000 line application and only wrote 20 bespoke lines himself. Is this the future of programming or did James get lucky? Scott takes the sceptical view in this spicy episode.

What if you could craft Super Nintendo ROMs using the power of C#? In this episode, Scott Hanselman dives into the world of retro game development with Matthew Shapiro, the creator of DotnetSnes—a tool that enables developers to build SNES games with modern .NET technology. They explore how the project works, the challenges of programming for classic hardware, and what this means for indie game developers and hobbyists alike. Whether you’re a nostalgic gamer or a coding enthusiast, this conversation is packed with insights that bridge the old-school and the cutting-edge.https://github.com/KallDrexx/DotnetSneshttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7320970127917649920/

The issue of software support for open-source is a long and storied one. Scott sits down with open-source advocate Hayden Barnes about how paid support and custom builds of older open-source software is a business opportunity for herodevs. Should you upgrade and migrate to the latest build? Or should you get paid never ending support?

Scott sits down with Jen Looper, educator, developer, and author of Computer Science for Kids. Together, they dive into the importance of introducing young minds to coding early and making computer science accessible for all. Jen shares insights from her book, discusses the evolving landscape of tech education, and highlights creative ways to inspire the next generation of innovators. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just passionate about fostering tech literacy, this episode is packed with wisdom on shaping future coders.Computer Science for Kids

In this episode of Hanselminutes, host Scott Hanselman sits down with Amini's Kate Kallot to explore the transformative potential of AI-driven data infrastructure in the Global South. As the founder of Amini, Kallot shares insights into how artificial intelligence can bridge critical data gaps, drive sustainable development, and empower communities with better access to information. The conversation delves into the challenges of building scalable, ethical AI solutions in regions where data scarcity has historically hindered progress. In association with the ACM's ByteCast

In this insightful episode of Hanselminutes, host Scott Hanselman sits down with Anne-Laure Le Cunff, the brilliant mind behind Tiny Experiments. Together, they explore the transformative power of small, manageable experiments in fostering creativity, personal growth, and meaningful change. Anne-Laure shares how her background in neuroscience and her journey as the founder of Ness Labs have shaped her approach to experimentation and self-improvement. Tune in as they dive into practical strategies for embracing curiosity, overcoming fear of failure, and unlocking potential through tiny, intentional steps—perfect for anyone looking to spark innovation and momentum in their own life.https://nesslabs.com/book

Justin serves as Head of Product at Sidero Labs. His career includes contributions to Oscar-winning films, the Disney+ streaming platform, and Amazon EKS. In his free time, Justin enjoys building modern-retro computers and watching Moana. He is the co-host of the FAFO.FM podcast with Autumn Nash. In this Episode he talks to Scott about his love for Linux and the Linux Desktop

In association with the ACM ByteCast, in this thought-provoking episode, Scott sits down with Dr. Peter Lee, President of Microsoft Research, to explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on medicine. Dr. Lee delves into the advancements in generative AI, such as GPT-4, and their implications for healthcare systems, patient care, and medical research. Together, they discuss the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations that arise as AI reshapes the landscape of medicine. This episode offers a compelling look at how cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing the way we approach health and wellness.

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman sits down with the visionary Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen, founder and CEO of Openwater. Dr. Jepsen shares her groundbreaking work in developing advanced imaging technologies that have the potential to revolutionize medical diagnostics and treatment. From her journey through big tech companies like Google and Facebook to her pioneering efforts at Openwater, Dr. Jepsen discusses how her team is leveraging red light and ultrasound to create affordable, wearable devices that can see into the human body with unprecedented clarity. In association with the ACM ByteCast.

Today we delve into the process of migrating data to the cloud with Louis Beaudoin-Allaire, Principal Developer at ShareGate. Scott learns about the benefits of cloud migration and the best practices for a successful transition. Louis shares his expertise on how to move with performance and data integrity. Fanning out and moving huge amounts of data robustly is harder than you'd think and there's some super interesting technology involved in making it happen.https://www.sharegate.com

What if we did the terminal...differently? Warp is taking a big bet on a new terminal that's got AI at the center. Is it a bad idea, or might it just be epic? Scott talks to Warp CEO Zach Lloyd about their big bet on a new way to think about the oldest computing interface. And, Warp is now out on Windows! https://www.warp.dev

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Dr. Michael Hansen from Nabu Casa joins Scott Hanselman to discuss the exciting advancements in open-source voice technology. They delve into the integration of Rhasspy and Home Assistant Voice, exploring how these tools can enhance privacy and local processing for voice assistants. Dr. Hansen shares insights on the future of voice technology, including the Wyoming protocol and the potential for supporting underrepresented languages. https://www.home-assistant.io/voice-pe/https://rhasspy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Dr. Cat Hicks is a psychologist studying software teams, a research leader, an empirical interventionist, and a creative entrepreneur. She is the VP of Research Insights for Pluralsight, where she founded the Developer Success Lab, an empirical research lab creating open science for developers and their teams. She talks to Scott about how software teams work, learn, and innovate.https://www.drcathicks.com/https://www.pluralsight.com/developer-success-lab

https://micro.onehttps://micro.blog

Mark Downie has been blogging about technical topics for years, and also is the primary maintainer of the DasBlog-Core blogging engine. He talks with Scott about writing technical blogs that get read. Why does one blog and in this time of walled gardens, why is it more important than ever? 50% off code for Hanselminutes Listeners "HMdunlop" for "Writing for Developers" https://www.manning.com/books/writing-for-developers

Is it time for Quantum? The Quantum Ready program is to help businesses and leaders prep for the new era of reliable quantum computing! Scot talks to Dr Krysta Svore, Distinguished Researcher who leads the Microsoft Quantum group about all things quantum, and how you and I can access insights and resources via online skilling, in person workshops and industry specific forums!Learn more at https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum-ready/get-started

Ash Hynie created CountrPT as to bridge the gap between manager perception and employee impact. Folks are tired, folks feel micro-managed, there's all this talk about return to office (RTO). Did we hire grown adults or not? What's the right way to manage technical teams, remote or other wise? How do we build relationships within our teams and with our managers where we can get direct and clear feedback about the needs of the business while still respecting that humans have feelings?https://countrpt.io/

Tomáš Herceg is the CEO of Riganti and his company focuses on .NET and modernization. He chats with Scott about the excitement around updating to .NET 8 and 9. There's so many benefits to modern .NET but there's a lot of confusion about what's possible. Can you really update 5, 10, 20 year old apps and bring them into a modern cloud environment? Tomáš has written a new book on .NET Modernization that is available now!https://www.modernizationbook.com - Hanselminutes listeners can get 10% off with coupon HANSELMINUTES10 from Jan 10 to April 1, 2025https://www.riganti.cz/https://www.dotvvm.com/

Maggie Appleton makes visual essays about programming, design, and anthropology. She's been thinking about how we interact with computers - and AI - longer than you've know about AI. She sits down with Scott to discuss how we interact with our computers through an anthropological lens.https://maggieappleton.com

Brian Douglas is the founder and CEO of Open Sauced where he works on increasing the knowledge and insights of open-source communities. In the past he’s lead Developer Advocacy at GitHub by fostering a community of early adopters through content creation showcasing the newest Github features. Open Sauced just joined the Linux Foundation and we learn how and why that move happened on this episode!https://opensauced.pizza/blog/bridging-the-gap-organizational-insights

The Shopify Winter 2025 Edition is out and it's Boring. Scott talks with Shopify VP of Product Development Glen Coates about the need to sometimes slow down and make software better...even if it's boring. Is it boring if it just works? If it's super reliable and does exactly what you want it to do? Glen breaks down how they do software at Shopify on this episode.https://www.shopify.com/editions/winter2025

Join us for this very special episode as Scott's wife Mo returns for a 2024 check in. Mo and Scott are coming up on 25 years of marriage. How do they make it happen? Do they consider themselves a mixed marriage - and is it cultural or is it just that Scott is a weird computer person?

Let's hear about .NET Aspire from a real-world practitioner! Anthony Simmon has been using .NET Aspire at as a Staff Software Developer at Workleap and he's been blogging his experiences and improvements! Let's talk to Anthony about what he likes and doesn't like about .NET Aspire and how it's making his multi-container development better on his local machines!https://anthonysimmon.com/

Dante Lex saw a problem with developers losing track of - and sometimes checking in secrets - so he and his team started Onboardbase to make secret management easy and secure from project creation to production. Scott chats with Dante about his philosophy of systems design, why secrets management is the next frontier in software, and why Onboardbase is for everyone. https://www.onboardbase.com/

Join host Scott Hanselman as he sits down with Faisal Islam, the mind behind the book Kotlin from Scratch. In this engaging episode, they delve into the world of Kotlin, the modern programming language that's making waves in the development community. Faisal shares insights from his journey writing the book, the key features of Kotlin that make it a favorite among developers, and practical advice for anyone looking to get started with or master this powerful language. https://nostarch.com/kotlin-scratch

In this episode Scott sit's down with Lin Qiao, the visionary CEO of Fireworks AI - and former head of PyTorch at Meta - to explore the journey of putting AI into production and how Fireworks can make that possible. Lin shares her insights on the challenges and triumphs of transforming AI from research to powerful real-world applications.https://fireworks.ai

In this episode, Scott Hanselman sits down with Charnelle Asante, the founder of Spoiler Talk. Dive deep into the creation and inspiration behind this cutting-edge app as a Charnelle navigates this space as non-technical founder. Charnelle shares her journey from idea to implementation, discussing the challenges of startup life, the importance of user feedback, and the future of spoiler management in an era of binge-watching. http://thespoilerapp.com/

The new Xbox Adaptive Joystick is designed as a companion for Xbox controllers. You can plug directly into your console or PC and customize or adapt your experience with button remapping in software and even 3D print your own shapes and sticks for a custom experience. Microsoft is launching a new $29.99 Xbox Adaptive Joystick early next year with a focus on players with limited mobility. Scott talks to Xbox Accessibility Expert Kaitlyn Jones in this episode!https://www.xbox.com/en-US/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-joystick

I'm Dominic. I've been building software systems for the last two decades. I really enjoy teaching and building courses that make students better developers.

It’s one thing to joke about how “it’s always DNS” but it’s another to solve the problem by starting your own DNS Hosting and Domain Registration company. Some folks joke, but Anthony Eden started a company - DNSimple. Scott chats with Anthony about how he got started, how DNS works, and why DNSimple does it right.

The Crimson Diamond is a mystery adventure video game developed and published by Julia Minamata for the PC. The game features a text parser, requiring players to solve a mystery through inputting instructions via text to the game. Solo developer Julia Minamata designed the game featuring an EGA color palette!https://www.thecrimsondiamond.com

In this episode of ACM ByteCast, our special guest host Scott Hanselman (of The Hanselminutes Podcast) welcomes 2024 ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award recipient Wen-Mei Hwu, Senior Distinguished Research Scientist at NVIDIA and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was recognized for pioneering and foundational contributions to the design and adoption of multiple generations of processor architectures. His fundamental and pioneering contributions have had a broad impact on three generations of processor architectures: superscalar, VLIW, and throughput-oriented manycore processors (GPUs). Other honors and recognitions include the 1999 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, 2006 ISCA Most Influential Paper Award, 2014 MICRO Test-of-Time Award, and 2018 CGO Test-of-Time Award. He is the co-author, with David Kirk, of the popular textbook Programming Massively Parallel Processors.Wen-Mei discusses the evolution of Moore’s Law and the significance of Dennard Scaling, which allowed for faster, more efficient processors without increasing chip size or power consumption. He explains how his research group’s approach to microarchitecture at the University of California, Berkeley in the 80s led to advancements such as Intel’s P6 processor. Wen-Mei and Scott discuss the early days of processors and the rise of specialized processors and new computational units. They also share their predictions about the future of computing and advancements that will be required to handle vast data sets in real time, and potential devices that would extend human capabilities.Wen-mei Hwu Announced as the 2024 ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award Recipient

Joseph Finney is a mechanical engineer by day and a software developer by night. He talks to Scott about how being an indie developer has improved his life, taught him a ton, in how he put applications in the Apple App store, the Google play store, and the Microsoft store. Some of the apps are big and complicated come up and some of the apps are applets, but all of them serve a purpose and solve a specific problem. Joeseph lives experimenting with different ways to solve common problems and have a passion for designing software which makes computers more natural to use.https://joefinapps.com

In this episode, Leendert van Doorn discusses the future of Snapdragon technology and its potential to revolutionize various industries. Snapdragon processors are known for their high performance and efficiency, making them a popular choice for smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Van Doorn highlights how Qualcomm is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with Snapdragon, focusing on advancements in AI, connectivity, and power efficiency. He chats with Scott about his passion for this space, and how Qualcomm Snapdragon powers the AI and more in the new Windows Copilot+ PCs!https://developer.qualcomm.com/

Michael Washington doesn't want AI to write the Great American novel, he wants YOU to write the Great American novel faster and easier. He's created AIStoryBuilders To help you break your stories down into timelines, locations, and characters. He sits down with Scott to talk about how he wrote this application, where retrieval augmented generation comes in, and how he wrote it with web assembly in mind to avoid having to deal with app stores while still having a mobile version.https://aistorybuilders.com/https://documentation.aistorybuilders.com/

Daniel Schiffman is a joy. For over a decade, Nature of Code has empowered countless readers to bridge the gap between creative expression and programming. Daniel Schiffman has also brought his joy through education on his Coding Train YouTube channel to millions. Now the Nature of Code has been updated for 2024 with an all new workflow and build system, 28 repositories, and a number of updated chapters that will teach you how to simulate natural systems with javascript. You will come out the the experience with a better appreciation for the nature of code!25% DISCOUNT on Nature of Code! (applied at checkout so click all the way!)https://natureofcode.com/

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with technical product leader Stacie Frederick from Stanza Systems. They dive into the intricacies of fine-tuning products, exploring how thoughtful adjustments and gentle optimizations can significantly enhance user experience and performance. Stacie shares her expertise on the methodologies and tools that drive successful product refinement, offering listeners actionable insights and real-world examples and a better sense of customer empathy.https://www.stanza.systems

In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman sits down with Dan Garfield from Octopus Deploy to delve into the cutting-edge world of GitOps on the Edge. They explore how GitOps principles are revolutionizing deployment strategies, particularly in edge computing environments where latency and reliability are critical. Dan shares insights on the unique challenges and solutions for managing infrastructure and applications at the edge, highlighting real-world use cases and best practices. Whether you’re a seasoned DevOps professional or just curious about the future of deployment automation, this episode offers valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of GitOpshttps://octopus.com/blog/what-is-gitops

Freeman and Forrest is the first influencer marketing service focused on enterprise tech. After running developer relations, product marketing, and community teams at companies like AWS, Google, Microsoft, and startups, Emily Freeman and Forrest Brazeal have now assembled a dream team of influencer partners across many niches like cloud to security and even generative AI. Today Emily talks to Scott Hanselman about the rise of the technology influencer.https://www.freemanandforrest.com/

Is AI the new UI? In this episode we'll be chatting with AI expert and Alexa developer Noelle Russell. She's believed in the power of talking to computers for years and thinks it's about to really happen for real. Will VLLMs and AI bring the promise of complex interactions with your computer to life?