Sliding Windows

Michael Niehaus, an IT and software development veteran with quite a long history at Microsoft, talks about his career from his early days as a mainframe system programmer to his deep involvement with Microsoft products. He describes how he moved from programming in assembly language to IT roles involving client-server models in the early days of personal computing in the 1990s. This ultimately led to his work with Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) and the Business Desktop Deployment Solution Accelerator, the latter of which evolved into the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). A significant focus of this episode is the development and evolution of deployment tools and the underlying techniques, from Kickstart to VBScript to PowerShell. Michael recalls encountering PowerShell and emphasises its potential as a powerful backend for various Microsoft products in the very early days. As strange as it may sound today, the release of Vista retrospectively represented a 'giant leap' in terms of new tools, techniques and enhancements, especially for OS deployment. Michael discusses the introduction of WIM files, WinPE and AutoUnattend.xml, among other things. He reflects on the challenges and innovations involved in shifting to WIM files, and on the effectiveness of Windows PE. He highlights their significance in Microsoft's operating system deployment strategies. Turning to contemporary issues, Michael and Thorsten discuss concerns about Microsoft's Windows Update Service (WSUS) and the impending discontinuation of related technologies. Finally, Michael talks about his role at the new company 2Pint, where he works on products such as DeployR, a successor to MDT.

In this special episode of the Sliding Windows podcast we broadcast live from the annual PowerShell conference PSConfEU that took place in Antwerp in 2024. My guest today is one of the best known celebreties of the PowerShell Universe: Chrissy LeMaire, inventor of the DBATools, Manning book author and Github star - to just give a few examples of her highly acclaimed work. Chrissy comes from a Cajun family in Louisiana (USA), whose French-speaking ancestors still have a special influence on the culture of this region today. Chrissy has lived and worked for many years in Europe now, embracing the the richness of cultures and influences in different countries and regions. A little different from a regular episode, we talk less about a specific area of expertise. Our main topic is Chrissy's career from database expert to book author and social media star and her very special view on the future of IT. Of course, we talk about "artificial" and "human intelligence". Chrissy shares a pivotal moment in her academic journey inspired by a quote from Paul Dressel, catalyzing a transformation in her approach to learning and paving the way for academic excellence. Transitioning to Chrissy's professional narrative, the dialogue navigates towards her engagement with PowerShell projects like DBA tools underscore her ardor for technology and perpetual learning. Steering towards technology's cutting edge, the dialogue unfolds the speaker's exploits with PowerShell and SQL Server migrations, elucidating the journey of crafting modules and scripts to streamline migration processes. Discussions on Microsoft's support for DBA tools, GitHub collaboration, AI integration with PowerShell, and the exploitation of AI engines like GitHub Copilot, underscore the transformative potential of AI in ameliorating workflows and augmenting productivity. Alongside nuanced reflections on Cajun heritage and language intricacies from Louisiana, theepisode culminates in a jovial French language quiz and a toast with craft beer, emblematic of shared ardor for technology, culture, and the enriching exchange encapsulated throughout the conversation. Thanks to Geoffroy Dubreuil and James Ruskin for their support with the Monad Manifesto quiz.

Zur Jahrtausendwende angekündigt, veröffentlichte Microsoft im Jahr 2002 die erste Version dieses ".NET Framework" für Windows; eine Programm- bzw. Laufzeitbibliothek, die Anwendungsentwicklern in Form einer sogenannten Klassenbibliothek zahlreiche nützliche Schnittstellen zur Verfügung stellt. Die Klassenbibliothek kann mit einer Vielzahl von Programmiersprachen genutzt werden, gleichzeitig sind die kompilierten Anwendungen sowohl auf unterschiedlicher Hardware als auch auf unterschiedlichen Betriebssystemen lauffähig. Der besondere Ansatz von .NET ist die Bereitstellung einer abstrakten Laufzeitumgebung, kurz einer VM ("virtual machine"). .NET Anwendungen werden mit einem Compiler in die spezifische Maschinensprache dieser VM übersetzt - der sogenannten "Intermediate Language". Dieser Ansatz ermöglicht es, dass lediglich die Laufzeitumgebung für unterschiedliche Hardware und Betriebssysteme portiert und nicht jede Applikation für die jeweilige Zielplattform neu kompiliert werden muss. Die Architektur von .NET erinnert nicht zufällig an das ältere JAVA der Firma Sun und dessen JRE ("java runtime environment).

Demitrius Nelon is the product manager responsible for the Package Manager for Windows which had its beginnings in Canada with an independent software developer named Keivan Beigi, who inspired Microsoft to create their own implementation. Keivan was guest on the "Sliding Windows" podcast, episode 18. Demetrius talks about his personal background and career journey, mentioning his service in the U.S. Navy and his work at various technology companies, including Microsoft, VMware, and Amazon. Prior to the employment of Demitrius Microsoft saw the value in Keivans primal AppGet implementation and used it as a template for their own package manager, initially named AppInstallerCLI due to its positioning under the umbrella of Microsofts sideloading application named AppInstaller. During its early days the AppInstallerCLI/WinGet was targeted as a package manager for developers. Demetrius joined the team in December 2019, and the initial preview launch of WinGet took place at the Build 2020 conference. He provides insights about WinGets inspiration, security, integration, future plans.