Timothy Dockins

timdockins

But first, coffee.

  • Software Development News Update

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    July 2025 .NET & .NET Framework Servicing Release
    On July 8, 2025, Microsoft released non-security fixes across .NET 8.0.18 and .NET 9.0.7, plus updated Linux packages and container images. Key runtime improvements include performance tweaks, reliability enhancements, and compatibility fixes for ASP.NET Core. Developers are encouraged to review the release notes—especially if you rely on the July servicing branch—to ensure stability in production environments. Microsoft Dev Blogs

    How the .NET MAUI Team Uses GitHub Copilot
    In early July, the .NET MAUI team published a deep dive into integrating GitHub Copilot into their workflow. By leveraging Copilot for boilerplate code, XAML scaffolding, and API usage suggestions, productivity increased and review cycles shortened. The post details tips on prompt engineering, pairing Copilot with hot-reload, and maintaining code quality. It’s a pragmatic look at human-AI collaboration in app development. dotnetketchup.com

    C# Dev Kit 2025: .NET Aspire & Hot Reload Enhancements
    Microsoft’s C# Dev Kit for VS Code rolled out its July update, introducing .NET Aspire orchestration support, improved hot-reload for Blazor and MAUI apps, and enhanced debugging features like variable snapshotting. These refinements streamline cross-platform development and make iterative coding smoother. If you’re building on .NET 8 or preparing for .NET 9, this update is a must-install. Microsoft Dev Blogs

  • ssshhhh…coffee first

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  • It’s them, not you…

    timdockins

    The way that people treat you says more about them than it does about you.

    Corollary #1 – The way you let people treat you says a lot about you.

    Anecdote – Watch the darts scene of Ted Lasso. The show is full of wisdom, but this one has stuck with me.

    — Ted Lasso – Darts Scene (2020)

    Corollary #2 – “Be curious, not judgmental.” (While Ted Lasso incorrectly attributes this quote to Walt Whitman, we don’t really know where it originated. (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/be-curious-not-judgmental-walt-whitman/) It is still a good piece of advice.

  • Coffee like I like it

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    As you already know, coffee comes in as many ways as there are cultures. I like my coffee straight. It’s just plain black coffee, but I do have a preference for the beans.

    I like my coffee bright, fruity, and low-acidity. My favorites tend to be Ethiopian in origin: Guji, Geisha, or Sidamo.

    It also has to be roasted perfectly to a light or medium roast. Confident Coffee and Blue Sail Coffee always tend to hit it just right.

  • Current Haunts

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    Here are some of my favorite places in NWA.

    Confident Coffee

    Atlas the Restaurant

    Wood Stone Pizza

  • Post convention Pho

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    We briefly attended the Arkansas Anime Convention at the Four Points in Bentonville. The elder boy was, as teenage boys often are, dying of hunger, and he complained loudly about it. So, the council convened, and we ended up down the street at Pho Kitchen, a Vietnamese restaurant.

    It was a decent place. There was a single table that would fit our family of 5, whereas most of the other tables had four tops. The staff was friendly enough but not super professional. We had to go retrieve condiments off of another table, and I think where we sat was a little sticky.

    The food was really good, though. While 3/5 had Pho, I opted for stir-fried noodles with chicken. The amount of veggies and the flavor of the chicken were perfect. The Pho-eaters were decidedly happy about their choices and devoured their soups blissfully.

    4/5 would go again if in the neighborhood and wanted Pho.

    https://pkgrillandbar.com

  • Getting into being a DM

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    We’ve got kids for two weeks out of June and July. We’re going to continue their characters in a new campaign within a new world. I also have a few friends joining us!

  • A week in Bali

    We recently had the good fortune to spend a week in Bali for our honeymoon. Getting there from Arkansas and back was a long trek involving layovers in different countries, including a gnarly 16 hour layover in San Francisco on the way back, then dealing with jet lag, and generally having being international travelers.

    In this series of posts, I’ll talk about Bali and our trip there. There are pictures to share, recipes, and stories about the trip including one about getting “attacked” by wild monkeys!