If you're a developer wrestling with legacy systems (and who isn't, amirite?), this year's .NET Conf is a great opportunity to escape the day-to-day drag and catapult your skills into the future. But with so many sessions (SO.MANY.SESSIONS) where should you focus your attention? As someone who deals with a lot of old code and old apps, here are my recommendations for all you legacy code warriors:
Day 1: Laying the Foundation
- Keynote: The Future of .NET: This is non-negotiable. It's your compass, setting the direction for the .NET world. Understand Microsoft's vision, and you'll understand where your modernized apps fit in.
- What's New in .NET 9: A deep dive into the shiny new stuff! Pay close attention to ASP.NET Core (Blazor's home), performance enhancements, and anything that screams "modernization."
- Modernizing .NET Applications: This session will have broad, cross-cutting advice relevant to any legacy project. Look for strategies to overcome common modernization hurdles.
Day 2: Blazor and Beyond
- Blazor: Building Modern Web UIs with C#: If Blazor is new territory, this session is your map. Grasp the core concepts, the why, and the how.
- Blazor Server in Depth: Essential viewing! Expect insights into performance tuning, scaling, and best practices, all crucial for a smooth migration.
- Migrating Legacy ASP.NET Applications to .NET 9: Even if you're not coming from ASP.NET, this session likely holds valuable techniques applicable to any .NET modernization effort.
- gRPC in .NET 9: Building High-Performance APIs: Modernizing often means exposing APIs. gRPC is a powerful option, and this session will get you started.
Day 3: Level Up Your Skills
- .NET Performance Workshop: Performance is king (or queen!). This workshop equips you with the tools and knowledge to analyze and optimize your .NET app.
- Security Best Practices for .NET 9 Applications: Don't let security be an afterthought! This session will help you build a secure foundation for your modernized app.
- [Any session on Azure or your chosen cloud provider]: Cloud deployment is your friend. These sessions will guide your strategy and unlock the power of the cloud.
Why This Matters to Legacy Coders
- Context is King: Day 1 sets the stage, giving you a broad understanding of the .NET landscape.
- Blazor Mastery: Dedicated Blazor sessions will transform you into a Blazor aficionado (or at least a competent user!).
- Migration Wisdom: Sessions on modernization and migration, even if not specific to your legacy tech, offer valuable patterns and solutions.
- Performance and Security: These are non-negotiables in the modern world. Don't skimp on these!
- Cloud Power: .NET and the cloud are a match made in heaven. Cloud-focused sessions will guide your deployment strategy.
Beyond the Sessions
- .NET Conf Community: .NET Conf is a livestream available directly on Twitch and YouTube. That means you can network with other developers, ask questions, and learn from shared experiences. You're not alone in this journey!
- Online Resources: The .NET ecosystem has amazing documentation and a vibrant community. Explore, learn, and grow! Go here, here and here.
- Games & Prizes: And let's not forget the .NET Conf games! CodeParty? Bring on the caffeine and geeky games. Secret Decoder Challenge? It's time to crack some codes and win some prizes. And with a SWAG Bag bursting with over $5K in prizes, we're ready to loot like it's the digital Wild West. All total, .NET Conf is giving away more than $60K in prizes!
.NET Conf 2024 is the place to be for anyone who loves .NET, from the old-schoolers to the bleeding-edge innovators. So dust off your keyboards, charge your laptops (or find that box of floppy disks), and join us for the ride. It's gonna be epic!
P.S. Check out the full .NET Conf agenda and start planning your schedule. It's a buffet of .NET goodness, and we're hungry for knowledge (and swag).
P.P.S. Here's a sneak peek of GAP's participation at .NET Conf:
- GAP's Secret Decoder Challenge page. Secret Decoder Challenge launches on Monday. Figure out the phrase and enter to win BIG prizes!
- GAP's WebMAP for Blazor AI code migration tool makes your C# code a web and cloud-enabled app. How sweet is that? [You might also notice there's a clue for Secret Decoder Challenge on that page. hint hint]
- Visual Basic Upgrade Companion (VBUC) supports .NET 9. Yup, old faithful is still converting VB6 code to the latest .NET.
- ByteInsight is here to bring you wisdom and insight on your code. Got old code and want to know what the heck is in there? ByteInsight is the answer.