One of the best ways that I’ve discovered to keep up to date with the constant change of technology is to listen to podcasts. I find this a great way to learn during my daily commute and exercise regiment (refilling my coffee AND getting the mail).
One thing I would encourage is to attempt to listen while coding. If you can listen to music while you code you can probably listen to podcasts with little effort. Everyone is different but here is what I’ve discovered about myself.
- If both ears are listening to a podcast I get too distracted and cannot concentrate enough on coding.
- If I listen using my right ear, I grok almost nothing of the podcast content.
- If I listen with my left ear, it seems to be a good balance between listening and doing.
I’ve heard of some who code while listening to a podcast in double speed to save time. I can’t do that but, apparently, some can.
Here are the podcasts I find invaluable as a developer
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Polymorphic Podcast | Craig Shoemaker brings insight into software development in the .NET platform along with interviews with industry luminaries. Good content, good quality but an inconsistent schedule. |
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ARCast with Ron Jacobs | Ron Jacobs is a Microsoft employee and delivers a weekly podcast on Channel 9 that dives into some tough .NET architecture topics. |
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Software Engineering Radio | Not specifically .NET related but contains a wide spectrum of Software topics from Dynamic Languages to Transactional Memory to Fault Tolerance. |
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Software Quality Engineering Conferences Podcast | Interviews with speakers from the Agile Development Practices 2007 Conference |
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OnSoftware | Weekly interviews with some of the software industry’s leading developers about a wide range of programming and development issues |
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WebDevRadio Podcast | Web Development Discussion |
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Agile Toolkit Podcast | Topics covering all things Agile. |
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.NET Rocks! | .NET Rocks! is a weekly talk show for anyone interested in programming on the Microsoft .NET platform. The shows range from introductory information to hardcore geekiness |
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Hanselminutes | Scott Hanselman discusses utilities and tools, gives practical how-to advice, and discusses ASP.NET or Windows issues and workarounds. |
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ASP.NET PodCast | The ASP.NET Podcast brings a technology focus to the area of podcasts. This podcast is geared towards developers with applications that scale to a large amount of data and users. |
I would like to hear what others are listening to and what software you use to manage your podcasts. I have a love/hate relationship with ITunes.
UPDATE:
Top Developer Podcasts Part II
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I’ve spent a lot of time listening to Steve Gibson’s Security Now series (grc.com). It’s rarely about programming, but the net working topics are often crucial. I’m currently finding myself needing to set up IIS and tunnel into the server for some mobile connectivity … so his topics are relevant – unless you work in a large company and never have to talk to any one about anything but code
from what I hear, not many of us are in that situation.
I meant "networking".
been typing ".net" too much tonight.
Hmm, I was a bit disappointed seeing you basically listed 6 .NET related podcasts. This is not for "every developer" imo. Not everyone uses .NET.
You might want to add the Linux Action Show (www.linuxactionshow.com) and Java Posse (javaposse.com) to that list. They are both far superior to anything you have listed.
Here is a favorite of mine: http://parleys.libsyn.com/rss
See http://parleys.com/ for more info.
I also listen a lot to the already mentioned Software Engineering Radio, which stands out because of its in-depth treatment of various topics. And you get the lovely german accent for free.
I forgot dotBoom.
You won’t learn much, but it is developer related – in a "puppets working in a web dev company" sort of way.
I’d add TWIT just because it’s so good – and because many of the stories relate to our world.
I would add Fresh Air from NPR. What does this have to do with programming? NOTHING! But really, you have to get your head around other things once in a while. If nothing else, this podcast will reassure you there are still interviewers out there who know how to conduct one!
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=13
Yeah – these are podcasts for .netters, not developers. I.E. these folks talk about how to navigate menus – not the same thing as programming.
I’m going to have to agree with Ralph on this one. This is not the Top 10 Podcasts for EVERY developer. Perhaps this is the Top 10 for .Net Developers. I’m not big on .Net, so it’s of little use to me.
Thanks for the effort though!
Randy,
Given the title of your blog, I expected to see http://codetolive.net in the list!
++Alan
Shouldn’t the title read:
10 Podcasts Every .NET Developer Should Listen To
There is a bigger world out there!
every developer != .NET
Java Posse (http://www.javaposse.com) is an invaluable resource for tracking what’s going on in the Java world.
OOPSLA2007 conference podcasts (http://www.oopsla.org/oopsla2007/index.php?page=podcasts/) offer a tremendous opportunity to get our heads out of the day-to-day trenches and think about the big picture. It’s unfair to single out any entry from such a great collection, but the summary of the first 50 years of programming languages by Guy Steele & Richard Gabriel is a do-not-miss treat.
The Agile Toolkit Podcast (http://agiletoolkit.libsyn.com/rss) features a wide-ranging set of interviews with consultants, speakers, and authors in the "agile development" world.
Google Developer Podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/GoogleDeveloperPodcast) covers news and interviews about the world of Google.
(and, FWIW, ditto your recommendation of OnSoftware and Software Engineering Radio).
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I’ve added Java Posse, OOPSLA2007, Parleys.com and even NPR: Fresh Air (to satisfy the social police) to my growing list of podcasts. Again, thanks for your feedback and and keep the suggestions coming.
Hi. I like your list. I keep track of the blogs and podcasts I listen with Google Reader. Its always up to date and its easier to decide if im gonna read or download a podcast having all in one place. I got my blog on Blogger and its really easy to share what feeds I follow and share the most interesting stuff.
Geeze, the Java developers are getting edgy today. I’d be pissed also if I had 4 different development tools which were "platform independent" (cough) yet anytime you switch platforms you must spend months planning for the upgrade/migration. And where every project seems to be developed using that lead’s favorite IDE. Is it Netbeans, Eclipse, IntelliJ, notepad, or what this time?
If you are stuck with a platform that doesn’t play well with others, you might as well choose the best (Visual Studio 2008).
Sorry to offend the Java developers, but it needed to be said.
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