C# Past, Present, and Future

C# is now over 20 years old but continues to grow and change. In this presentation, we will:

* Start at the very beginning and explore the roots of the language
* Explore the versions and the important features that were released, and what they meant for the future of the language
* Review the most current release and the way the newest language features allow us to accomplish our goals
* Look to the future and what is next

Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of C#, .NET, where it came from, where it is going, and how to take advantage of the newest language features. This presentation is demo and code-heavy with lots of examples and fun!

Debugging Your Brain

Developing software is akin to magic. What starts as pure thought is transformed into a virtual tool to help users achieve value and results. The most important hardware of that transformation is your brain, which was developed long before computers. What happens when a tool that evolved to help us survive on the plains of Africa is repurposed to create websites and mobile apps? What flaws are present in our brains and how do those flaws cause inefficiencies in our work and personal lives? How can we use these insights to avoid potential pitfalls?

This talk is a light, self-reflective, interactive discussion about metacognition, logical fallacies, and the cognitive biases that we all harbor, and the problems they cause in our daily lives.

I presented this talk at DevUp in 2024 and received rave reviews. I had 16 evaluations (of the 45 that were in the session) and received the following scores (on a scale of 1-5):

How well did the session meet your expectations? 4.7
How would you rate the speaker's presentation skills? 4.9
How would you rate the speaker's command of the topic? 4.9
Did the topic description match the session content? 4.7
Overall, how would you rate this session? 4.8

Comments:

"Ken provided interesting information in a comical and pleasant way!"
"Insightful and great presentation."
"Well done, very informative, kept my attention."
"This was a great session. I did not realize how many subconscious biases there are
and the ones I have experienced in past. Also, the presentation was very well put
together. You have used humor throughout which helped audience to be engaged.
This was very useful and really appreciate your time!"
"I enjoyed the way that the speaker told this story, the sessions that are different
from technical content such as this are really enjoyable."
"Very interesting. Thank you."

Thank you for your time :-)

Automated Testing in Angular

Automated testing is a key component of code quality and is the base that gives us the freedom and confidence to engage in developer-friendly practices like CI/CD. In this presentation we will discuss:

- What are the different types of automated tests?
- What technologies and frameworks are used in automated testing Angular applications?
- What techniques can we use to ensure that our Angular application is properly tested so we can have confidence in the quality of our code?

Lastly, we will look at an existing component and write tests for it using the points of discussion above. The goal of the session is for every attendee to leave with a greater understanding of automated testing in the Angular ecosystem and the confidence to write their own automated tests.

Git Configuration secrets THEY don't want you to know about

In 2021 the Git core developers were asked to reset their config settings to see what working on Git "Out of the Box" was really like. They were then challenged to come up with the top settings that they really wanted to change. What came from that exercise was a list of 9 settings that the core development team mostly unanimously agreed should be the defaults.

Attendees will leave this session with the following take ways:

* How to configure Git so it is more ergonomic and pleasant to work with
* How Git settings may change depending on our workflow
* A deeper understanding of the internals of Git