MS Build AI Day: Develop in the cloud with Microsoft Dev Box by Dona Sarkar
Develop in the cloud with Microsoft Dev Box by Dona Sarkar
I attended the session Develop in the cloud with Microsoft Dev Box at MS Build AI Day by Dona Sarkar on the 19th Oct 2023.
Dona started the session to gauge the audience how long it takes to set up a dev environment before a Dev can submit their first PR. It takes between 1-5 days for Dev environment set up. Dona delved into the crucial role of Dev Boxes, highlighting their importance in keeping developers content, efficient, and compliant with security protocols.
Microsoft Dev Box
Microsoft Dev Box Launched in June 2023 caters for developer needs. It is quick to deploy mitigating to build a dev box from scratch. It is suitable for Developers who mostly work remotely without having to carry a beastly high spec laptop with everything in the cloud. The Microsoft Dev Box can be equipped with essential tools like VS Code and Copilot mitigating the need of building an environment from scratch.
Snapshot, Not a Move: The Dev Box serves as a snapshot of a developer’s ideal working environment. It’s not a relocation, but rather a customizable space tailored to their preferences.
Codespaces versus Microsoft Dev Box
Codespaces provide a development environment directly within GitHub, allowing for quick collaboration and coding. They are cloud-based and accessible from any device.
Dev Boxes: Windows with Configuration: In contrast, Dev boxes mimic a Windows environment with specific developer-focused configurations providing more dev options.
Use cases of Microsoft Dev Box
Copilot codebase
Dona asked the audience to guess the number of different types of copilots.
The answer was 155 and each has different codebases for Copilot. For each copilot a developer would spin up another dev box containing the set up for tha copilot. Having a different dev box for code base ensures that their work remains isolated and organized.
Isolated Environments for Experimentation
Allows developers to experiment with cutting-edge technologies without impacting production systems, Quantum Development.
Real life example by GM Motors
Dona played a video how GM Motors are benfiting from Dev Boxes to allow developer to be productive in any onboarded project quickly emphasing the need for agility and rapid development.
GM adoption of Microsoft Dev Box
Features
Scaling with Ease
Dynamic Scalability: Dev Boxes are designed for seamless scalability. Whether a team expands or additional resources are needed, Dev Boxes can easily adapt to accommodate these changes.
Security and compliance
Dev Boxes ensure enterprise-level security and compliance through integration with Azure portal and Intune. This guarantees that all development activities adhere to organizational standards. This compliance ensures that sensitive information remains protected.
Access and Administration
Dev Centres from Azure Portal: Dev Centres serve as centralized hubs within Azure Portal, providing a streamlined approach to managing and accessing Dev Boxes.
Evolution of technology
Dona went on a memory lane when she started her job back in 1998 installing windows using multiple disks taking hours while now it can be done with a click of a button to multiple devices.
AI won’t take away our jobs
Through evolution of technology from cloud computing, low code the number of developers have increased and have not gone down. She referred to herself still coding starting her career 25 years ago.
Some languages like COBOL which is behind most ATM machines are still being used. First introduced in 1959 and still being used in financial institutions. There is a scarcity of COBOL Developers as experienced COBOL developers have now retired.
New opportunities
Dona mentioned the AI scales someone might be on and gave some examples who they might be.
| Level | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tried out a few AI tools. Fairly sporadic and unspecific usage |
| 2 | Adopted an AI product and use it daily or weekly for specific tasks |
| 3 | Extended an AI product in own data through metaprompting, fine-tuning, RAG, or plug-ins |
| 4 | Built own AI product from an existing model |
| 5 | Built and trained a model |
Examples of solution builders
More job apportunities in AI will emerge as it evolves.
Responsible AI
Dona covered about responsible AI and grounding in her session using an example to return UK laws related to accessibility with references and system prompt to return data in particular format
Conclusion
Dev Boxes ensure that developers have the tools and configurations needed to thrive. By prioritizing security, scalability, and compliance, Dev Boxes can become the backbone of a productive and efficient development process.
References
Quickstart: Configure Microsoft Dev Box: This resource provides comprehensive guidance on managing and administering Dev Boxes, ensuring they operate seamlessly within an organizational framework.