There are many cool things about Windows PowerShell. For me three of the most awesome things are the following:

1. If you don’t like the way Windows PowerShell does things, you can change it.

2. If Windows PowerShell can’t do something you need, you can add it.

3. The Windows PowerShell community is super dedicated, and will help you do both one and two. 

Now, to be honest at times, it is necessary to write hundreds and hundreds of lines of arcane code, to dive into the deepest and darkest mysteries of programing, and even to learn about things like API’s, Constructors, Events, threading, ACL’s, DACL’s, CACL’s and maybe even Tetradactylies. Then again, most of the time it is not. In fact, it has been years and years since I wrote a hundreds and hundreds of lines of arcane code. 

It is almost as if the Windows PowerShell team deliberately tried to make Windows PowerShell easy to use and easy to learn. Hmm … I wonder if that approach would ever catch on? Anyway, there used to be an old saw: “Ease of use is directly opposed to program capability.” Or, in other words, if it is easy to use, it probably is not all that powerful. Well, PowerShell changes that … dramatically. 

And yet, Windows PowerShell is also deceptively easy to use. One can go from Get-Service and Get-Process or even Get-Date to some pretty complicated stuff in like one line of code. 

This is why item number three is so important. The authors of this book: Dave, Sean, Thomas and Allan are all Windows PowerShell experts, and have even been recognized by Microsoft as community leaders. So, this means not only do they know their stuff, but they are also great at sharing that knowledge with the community. Sean Kearney is even an Honorary Scripting Guy – a very elite group indeed!

One of the great way that MVP’s share their knowledge and experience is via MVP Days a traveling road show that was started by Dave and Cristal Kawula. This is a very well run event, and I have had the opportunity to speak at two of the events … it is cool, and it is fun.

So grab this book, get it autographed, and learn how to master some awesome PowerShell tricks. It is cool. 

Ed Wilson

Microsoft Scripting Guy

@ScriptingGuys

There are many cool things about Windows PowerShell. For me three of the most awesome things are the following:

1. If you don’t like the way Windows PowerShell does things, you can change it.

2. If Windows PowerShell can’t do something you need, you can add it.

3. The Windows PowerShell community is super dedicated, and will help you do both one and two. 

Now, to be honest at times, it is necessary to write hundreds and hundreds of lines of arcane code, to dive into the deepest and darkest mysteries of programing, and even to learn about things like API’s, Constructors, Events, threading, ACL’s, DACL’s, CACL’s and maybe even Tetradactylies. Then again, most of the time it is not. In fact, it has been years and years since I wrote a hundreds and hundreds of lines of arcane code. 

It is almost as if the Windows PowerShell team deliberately tried to make Windows PowerShell easy to use and easy to learn. Hmm … I wonder if that approach would ever catch on? Anyway, there used to be an old saw: “Ease of use is directly opposed to program capability.” Or, in other words, if it is easy to use, it probably is not all that powerful. Well, PowerShell changes that … dramatically. 

And yet, Windows PowerShell is also deceptively easy to use. One can go from Get-Service and Get-Process or even Get-Date to some pretty complicated stuff in like one line of code. 

This is why item number three is so important. The authors of this book: Dave, Sean, Will, Mick, Thomas and Allan are all Windows PowerShell experts, and have even been recognized by Microsoft as community leaders. So, this means not only do they know their stuff, but they are also great at sharing that knowledge with the community. Sean Kearney is even an Honorary Scripting Guy – a very elite group indeed!

One of the great way that MVP’s share their knowledge and experience is via MVP Days a traveling road show that was started by Dave and Cristal Kawula. This is a very well run event, and I have had the opportunity to speak at two of the events … it is cool, and it is fun.

So grab this book, get it autographed, and learn how to master some awesome PowerShell tricks. It is cool. 

Ed Wilson

Microsoft Scripting Guy

@ScriptingGuys

“PowerShell is awesome.” I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard this phrase and I never get tired of hearing it..

I remember the launch of Windows Server 2012 like it was yesterday. It was a major release with innovation across the board in Hyper-V, Storage, Networking, Scale and Performance. Underlying all of this innovation was one unifying investment designed to make it easier for you to harness these technologies: PowerShell. With over 2500 PowerShell commandlets built-in, rich automation was now in everyone’s hands. Over the years, we listened as you used PowerShell for everything from simple repeatable tasks to complex deployments of servers, software and services where PowerShell removed human error.

A few releases later, we’ve added over a thousand new commandlets, Desired State Configuration (DSC), and Just Enough Administration (JEA) making PowerShell an indispensable and valuable skill for every résumé. If you haven’t learned PowerShell yet, there’s no time like the present. (Spoiler alert: It’s fun too…) The authors are PowerShell experts and MVPs who teach and coach in the Microsoft community with years of experience. In addition, they have used their learnings in the community to provide feedback to the PowerShell team and help influence the product direction. Whether you or a seasoned user or a PowerShell newbie, you can’t ever know too many PowerShell Tricks.

Jeff Woolsey

Windows Server/Hybrid Cloud

@wsv_guy