In this episode of Scott and Mark Learn To, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore the evolution of cloud computing, tracing its roots from the early days of Azure to its transformation into a powerful, flexible platform. Mark explains the shift from "pets" (individual servers) to "cattle" (easily replaceable servers) as cloud infrastructure became more scalable and cost-efficient. They discuss the challenges of scaling websites, from physical data centers to cloud-based solutions, and the economic and technical factors that led to the rise of multi-tenancy and on-demand services. The episode also highlights Azure’s adoption of Linux and the broader embrace of open-source technologies, marking a key shift in Microsoft’s cloud strategy. The conversation reflects on how modern cloud services abstract away complex infrastructure management, much like the simplification seen in programming languages with garbage collection.

Takeaways:

• Why cloud existed in the first place and how it evolved
• Difference abstraction leads to different services, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
• Microsoft’s strategic decisions in the history of Azure, like embracing Linux and opensource technologies

Resources:

• The Mind Behind Windows: Dave Cutler
• Microsoft Volume I: The Complete History and Strategy of founding through Windows 95 (Audio)
• Microsoft Volume II: The Complete History and Strategy of the Ballmer Years (Audio)

Who are they?

View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn

View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

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In this episode of Scott and Mark Learn To, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into the topic of hobbies and how they balance tech work with leisure activities. Mark opens up about his long-time love for the Battlefield video game series, where he’s spent countless hours playing multiplayer, while Scott shares his passion for retro gaming on his Steam Deck. The conversation explores their favorite games, including Half-Life: Alyx, and how gaming serves as a much-needed release. They also discuss their non-tech hobbies—Mark’s unexpected talent for drawing, which he picked up again during COVID, and Scott’s thoughts on how AI and nerd sniping influence their spare time. The episode offers a fun and candid look into how these tech giants unwind and keep their creativity flowing.

Takeaways:

• How people assume successful tech professionals only engage in computer-related hobbies
• AI research as a hobby, focusing on gamifying challenges to fuel passion for problem-solving
• Mark shares his Star Wars props, including a Darth Vader helmet and Stormtrooper rifle

Who are they?

View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn

View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Scott and Mark Learn To, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich delve into the critical developer skill of debugging crash dump files, both kernel dumps and application dumps. They start sharing insights from their experiences with blue screens and system crashes. They discuss tools like WinDBG ("Windbag") for analyzing dump files and demonstrate "Not My Fault," a tool for simulating crashes. Mark also showcases Procdump, highlighting its advanced features for capturing dumps with conditional triggers, such as high CPU usage or memory leaks, and explains why it outshines manual methods like Task Manager.

Takeaways:

• How WinDbg and Visual Studio allow developers to analyze memory dumps as snapshots
• The need for developers to get comfortable with debugging
• Exciting possibilities for AI-assisted development in the near future

Who are they?

View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn

View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.