So, my trusty Windows PC decided to give up the ghost. Just like that. Black screen of death. Panic set in. Not because of my precious family photos (backed up, of course!), but because of my C#/.NET Core projects. I'm a coder, and suddenly I was without my weapon of choice - Visual Studio.
But this crisis sparked an unexpected journey. Armed with nothing but my new Chromebook (which I initially thought would just be for browsing and emails), I dove headfirst into the world of cloud development. And guess what? It's awesome!
The Chromebook Revelation
My first "aha!" moment came when I discovered that Chromebooks can run Linux containers. Wait, what? This meant I could install Visual Studio Code on my Chromebook and continue coding! Mind blown. It wasn't the full-fledged Visual Studio experience, but it was enough to get me back on track.
Venturing into the Cloud
But my curiosity was piqued. If I could code on a Chromebook, what other possibilities were out there? That's when I remembered I could use Microsoft's Virtual Machines (VMs) and then stumbled upon DevBox. Suddenly, I had a full Windows environment with Visual Studio running in the cloud, accessible from anywhere via RDP. It was like having my old PC back, but better!
This cloud adventure also led me to GitHub Codespaces. Imagine this: a complete development environment within GitHub, pre-configured with all the tools and dependencies I needed. It was like magic! And then there was the Visual Studio Code web version, which let me code directly in my browser. The future is now, people!
Lessons Learned
This whole experience was a wake-up call. I realized that I had been limiting myself to a single way of doing things. My broken PC forced me to explore new options, and I discovered a whole world of cloud development tools that I never knew existed.
Here's what I learned:
Embrace the cloud: Cloud development offers flexibility, accessibility, and scalability that traditional setups can't match.
Don't be afraid to experiment: Trying new tools and technologies can open up new possibilities.
The future is web-based: With tools like VS Code web and GitHub Codespaces, the lines between local and cloud development are blurring.
Setting Up Your Own Cloud Development Environment
Want to try it yourself? Here's how to get started with the tools I explored:
Visual Studio Code on Chromebook
- Enable Linux Apps: Go to Chromebook settings and enable the Linux development environment.
- Install VS Code: Open the Linux terminal and follow the instructions on the VS Code website for Debian/Ubuntu.
- Install the C# extension: Open VS Code and install the official C# extension from Microsoft.
Microsoft Virtual Machine (VM) with Visual Studio
- Create an Azure account: Sign up for an Azure account if you don't already have one.
- Create a Windows VM: In the Azure portal, create a new virtual machine with a Windows image.
- Install Visual Studio: Connect to your VM via RDP and install your preferred version of Visual Studio.
Microsoft DevBox
- Prerequisites: DevBox is designed as a tool to manage environments for multiple developers. So, a few setup prerequisites are required: dev center, dev box definition/pool/project. You should be able to configure all this in a few minutes using a Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription
- Configure your DevBox: Choose one of your pre-configured DevBoxes with the tools you need or customize your own.
- Connect to your DevBox: Access your DevBox from anywhere via your browser or a local IDE.
GitHub Codespaces
- Prerequisites: All personal GitHub accounts have a monthly quota of free use of GitHub Codespaces included in the Free or Pro plan. You can get started using GitHub Codespaces on your personal account without changing any settings or providing payment details.
- Create a codespace: Click the "Create codespace" button to launch a development environment in your browser.
Visual Studio Code Web
- Go to vscode.dev: Open your browser and navigate to vscode.dev.
- Open a folder or repository: You can open local folders or connect to a GitHub repository to start coding.
This unexpected journey into the cloud has transformed the way I think about development. It's liberating to know that I'm no longer tethered to a single machine. So, thank you, broken PC, for opening my eyes to a world of possibilities!
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