Reading Notes #713

This week’s collection explores the practical side of AI, focusing on governance in multi-model environments and the security advantages of robust sandboxing. I’ve also included some foundational perspectives on and organizational goals, along with a look into the history of one of my favorite tools, VS Code.

AI

• James Shore: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth from AI? (James Shore) - Interesting first post of a series. This one focuses on what we should or shouldn't measure to see and understand the performance of our teams using AI.

• Project HydraFusion: Frontier quality via multi-model orchestration - The GitHub Blog (GitHub Staff) - That looks very interesting, and it's available in the CLI via the experimental features.

• Below the Harness: Governing a Multi-Model, Multi-Harness World | Docker - Interesting thought about the future (probably not that far because it's about AI) and how we will interact or work with it.

• 6 Benefits of Sandbox Environments (Kevin Wittek, Srini Sekaran) - I really like how this post explains the security issues, how Docker sandboxes address the weaknesses, and how its sandboxes differ from others.

Programming

• The Story of VS Code | Official Documentary - A ninety-minute documentary about VS Code. From where the idea started to what we know it as today.

Books

Measure What Matters 

by John Doerr 

That book has been on my to-read list for a very long time. As someone who worked at Microsoft using many OKRs, I was comfortable with the topic. Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn how other people use it in many different contexts.

Reading Notes #712

I’ve put together a few articles that caught my attention this week, ranging from .NET updates and Azure migration paths to the nuances of AI evaluation workflows. These pieces offer practical insights into the tools and design choices we encounter in our daily work.

Cloud

• Azure Service Bus: Migrate topology one event at a time - Nice first post of a Siri about service bus, and this one focuses on migration and the pattern you can follow

AI

• Building Reproducible AI Evaluation Workflows with Docker Sandboxes (Karan Verma) - Wow! Very interesting open-source project that tries to help with the question: before comparing benchmark scores or choosing a judge model, can someone else reliably run the same workflow under comparable conditions? Definitely worth the read.

• What is YOLO Mode? - Yolo mode is the most productive way to use AI. It is better for developer habits and the brain, but it also comes with some risks. This nice post provides clarity on the topic.

Programming

• The best dark mode toggle is probably none (Lea Verou) - You could think that this little theme toggle is a simple thing, but you would be wrong. Interesting post that explains all the thoughts behind that design.

• .NET Conf 2026 - Save the Date (Jon Galloway) - There it is! The date is out; the call for papers is for next week.

~frank

Reading Notes #711

This week’s collection covers everything from streamlined Azure deployment techniques to the practical realities of local versus cloud AI models. I have also gathered several helpful resources for .NET developers and some thoughts on maintaining sharp mental habits in an increasingly automated world.

Cloud

• A simpler way to deploy ZIP packages to Azure App Service from the Azure portal - Perfect for quick simple one shot deployment

AI

• No, local models will not win (sean goedecke) - I agree that local models won't replace cloud ones, but disagree and think local models usage will grow. Not only for niche operations but also for simple tasks.

• v1.2: /wait-what, /writing-for-agents, Claude Code Plugin, and more (Matt Pocock) - Cool update on some skills and new ones. Worth your time!

• AI Governance Is a Developer Experience Problem (Karan Verma) - Part 3 of a series; this post continues to share reasons why it's important to isolate our agent to gain freedom.

• Why the GitHub Copilot app became my daily driver (AJ Bajada) - When the app came out, I was pulled to it that much. Now that I have multiple accounts, and often run multiple sessions... This post shares features I did know GH app had...I have to give it a try

• How to keep thinking (Sam Basu) - Brain push-ups have always been important. But with the bad habits that AI "forces" us to use, it's more than ever.

Programming

• Building Bookmark Studio: bookmarks that belong to the codebase (Mads Kristensen) - Interesting tools! I can see how it can be useful for ourselves but also as a team.

• Multi-Language Support for Cross-Platform .NET (Sam Basu) - Very impressive work from Uno. It looks like they thought of everything.

• Announcing v2.0 of the official MCP C# SDK (Jeff Handley) - This post shares important changes in the new release compared to the previous one; it's stateless.

DevOps

• Docker snapshot tags aren't as static as I thought (Bart Wullems) - There is always something else to learn about containers, nice ha-ah moment.

Open Source

• Am I neglecting my open source projects? (Zach Leat­herman) - Oh! I like that dashboard. I'm both scared and envious to have something like that.

~frank