Podcasts for .NET Developers

Posted on Tuesday, 3rd November 2015

With an hour long commute to and from work each day I find myself listening to a lot of podcasts. Not only do they make my car journey go much faster but listening to them also help me keep upto date with all of the latest goings on in the software industry. With this in mind I thought it would be beneficial to collate the .NET (or web development related) podcasts that I would recommend.

Before I continue if there are any podcasts that any readers of my blog would recommend then I’m always keen to be introduced to new ones, so please feel free to comment!

.NET Rocks!

Website URL: http://www.dotnetrocks.com
Release Frequency: 3 times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
Average Episode Duration: 60 minutes

.NET Rocks! is easily the staple of my podcasts. With over 1159 episodes in their show archive hosts Carl Franklink and Richard Campbell do a fantastic job of delivering a great, high-production value podcast that features a broad range of .NET (and on occasion not do .NET) focused podcasts. Carl and Richard travel around creating their podcasts, presenting opporunities to interview some really high profile members of the .NET community. .NET Rocks especially deserves my number 1 spot for the sheer number of episodes they’ve released over the years and the regularity of their releases.

MS Dev Show

Website URL: http://msdevshow.com
Release Frequency: Once a week
Average Episode Duration: 60 minutes

MS Dev Show is a recent addition to my long list of favourite development related podcasts but has certainly left a good impression. Since first learning about MS Dev Show just a few weeks ago I’ve already made a good start on burning my way through their archive.

Hanselminutes

Website URL: http://hanselminutes.com
Release Frequency: Once a week
Average Episode Duration: 30 - 40 minutes

Along with the aforemention podcasts, I would also highly recommend Scott Hanselman’s Hanselminutes podcast. Having been listening to Hanselminutes long before I got into the .NET world, I’ve always been a great admirer of Scott Hanselman’s ability effortlessly communicate concepts, ideas and thoughts in a clear manner - if he has the ability to slow down time to find the perfect word or sentence that expresses what he’s trying to communicate. Whilst not all episodes are development related, they’re always insightful and interesting.

Developer On Fire

Website: http://developeronfire.com
Release Frequency: Twice a week
Average Episode Duration: 30 - 60 minutes

Developer On Fire is a recent addition to my podcast list (when I say recent, I mean 6⁄8 months) but has quickly become one of my favourites due to presentation format and the topics discussed. Where as a lot of the podcasts listed are more technology focused (where a guest comes on to discuss a particular topic), Developer On Fire does something a little different and talks about the guests more personal relation with the software industry, encouraging them to share experiences and tips with a real focus on delivering value.

The host, Dave Rael presents the show really well and does a great job of keeping the guests talking, teasing interesting stories, tips and recommendations out of them throughout - often ending with a great question where he asks for two or three book recommendations for the listeners - books that on occasion I’ve actually gone and purchased as a direct result of the recommendation. 

Eat, Sleep, Code

Website URL: http://developer.telerik.com/community/eat-sleep-code/​
Release Frequency: Twice a month
Average Episode Duration: 30 - 40 minutes

Eat Sleep Code is a podcast created by the guys and girls over at Telerik and is certainly worth adding to your podcast aggregator of choice. Each episode spans between 30 to 40 minutes and is a healthy mix of programming related subjects ranging from .NET to Javascript and mobile development.

Herding Code

Website URL: http://herdingcode.com
Release Frequency: Once a month, sometimes longer
Average Episode Duration: 20 - 30 minutes

Herding Code is another get .NET focused podcast that regularly features a variety of subjects ranging from software architecture to mobile phones and javascript libraries. Whilst I would definitely recommend adding it to your podcast aggregator of choice be aware that the eposide release cycle is rather inconsistent.

Software Engineering Radio

Website URL: http://www.se-radio.net
Release Frequency: 2 or 3 times a month
Average Episode Duration: 60 minutes

Whilst not specifically .NET focused (more Java) but often featuring more advanced subjects that apply to general application development, Software Engineering Radio deserves a mention for its sheer technical depth of discussions.

Javascript Jabber

Website URL: https://devchat.tv/js-jabber
Release Frequency: Once a week
Average Episode Duration: 1 hour

Whilst Javascript Jabber is not a .NET focused podcast, with way the .NET and application development landscape is changing most of us .NET (specifically ASP.NET) developers are no doubt familiar with Javascript or will become increasingly familiar with it over the next few years - especially with tooling changes we’re seeing in ASP.NET MVC 6. For this reason I feel Javascript Jabber deserves a place on the list. Javascript Jabber regularly features a variety of guests, most often Ruby related, however the hosts do a great job of keeping it Javascript focused. Personally I’ve found Javascript Jabber a great way to keep upto date with the never ending emergence of Javascript libraries.

That’s it for now. I’m always on the lookout for new podcasts to ease my commute so feel free to mention any I’ve missed in the comments below and I’ll be sure to add them to the list!