Developer Experience in Windows 11 with Kayla Cinnamon – Episode 305

Challenges

  • Enhancing the developer experience on Windows 11.
  • Simplifying the setup and configuration of development environments.
  • Integrating various tools and features seamlessly.

Solutions

  • Introducing Dev Home and PowerToys to streamline workflows.
  • Utilizing WinGet for easy environment setup and configuration.
  • Providing tools like Windows Terminal and Cascadia Code for better productivity.

Benefits

  • Improved efficiency and ease of use for developers.
  • Faster setup and configuration of development environments.
  • Enhanced productivity with integrated tools and features.

Kayla Cinnamon is a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft working on the developer experience in Windows. This includes Dev Home and PowerToys. Kayla formerly worked on Windows Terminal and Cascadia Code, which is the font you all use inside Visual Studio. She holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction. She recently was a speaker at the recent Microsoft Build conference.

Topics of Discussion:
[06:02] Kayla talks about DevHome.
[07:18] Examples of having agency over your machine.
[09:05] Setting up an environment in DevHome and a WinGet configuration file.
[10:10] Desired state configuration.
[10:47] How do we generate these files?
[12:26] Using Dev Home to simplify cloning and configuring repositories.
[14:22] DSC can toggle Windows settings as well.
[16:26] What is Dev Drive?
[20:36] How run environments help bring your Cloud and remote environments into a centralized place.
[23:09] The most popular power toys.
[26:07] Windows subsystem for Linux.
[31:00] What’s the next power toy?
[35:18] Ways for people to learn more.