It’s Not Too Late to Learn PowerShell
Summary: Ed Wilson talks about learning Windows PowerShell. It seems that there are always new technologies. It is hard to keep up with them, and it is hard to predict which ones are even worth the time and effort to learn. As with agile development, it seems there are also agile computing technologies. Over the years, I have been to many, many technology related conventions, conferences, and training classes. The world of IT is one of endless learning. One of the big reasons for going to conferences, is to see what is on the horizon, to see what is coming up next, and to see where I will need to focus my efforts in the coming year. But, I do not always get it right. I can remember some conferences where I go and see something that looks really cool. I come home, and spend countless hours going over the conference materials, downloading betas of this, that, and the other…and then sit back and wait for the overwhelming customer demand that never comes. Then there are other things that I see, and I think, “Dude that will never fly”…and then it does in a big way. What is the deal anyway? Well, it is this. When a new technology is introduced, there are blogs, books, videos, training, and all kinds of materials that begin with the beginning. It is also true that many new technologies, when introduced, are not all that complex when one grasps a few new concepts. Then comes the 2.0 version…the 3.0 version…and by the time it is in its fifth, sixth, or whatever revision, things are quite complex. It seems that all the books have become confused, and it is hard to find the proper starting point. It is becoming that way with Windows PowerShell. When Windows PowerShell 1.0 was introduced, there were 129 cmdlets. Now, with version 4.0, there are nearly two thousand cmdlets. In addition, there are remoting, workflow, modules, and DSC (to name four new technologies that have been added since version 1.0). So, the moral of the story is this:
If you have been sitting on the sideline to see if “this PowerShell thing” is going to take off, the answer is, “Yes, it has taken off.” If you are wondering again if it is going to be worth your while to learn Windows PowerShell, the answer is, “Yes!” If you are wondering if you have missed the Windows PowerShell boat because it has sailed without you, the answer is, “Not yet.” In fact, there is a new Windows PowerShell boat waiting around the corner. I think I hear the crew members yelling, “All aboard.”
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