PowerShell Predictions for 2015
Summary: Windows PowerShell MVP, Don Jones, provides predictions for 2015. Don Jones here. from PowerShell.org and Pluralsight. The Scripting Guy asked me to have another stab at predicting what’s in store for Windows PowerShell in 2015, so without further ado…
Folks will realize how fast Windows is moving
We’re going to see a lot of people asking, “I installed Windows PowerShell 5.0, but I don’t have (insert name of feature). What’s wrong?” Their problem will be that they’re running on an older version of Windows that doesn’t include that feature—even if a newer version of Windows PowerShell is installed. As Windows versions launch faster, this is going to get a lot more noticeable.
There’ll be a lot more training
At Pluralsight, we already have a pretty big list of Windows PowerShell-related training videos, and we have authors working hard on more. Other training products are also going to step up their Windows PowerShell coverage. You’ll likely see more Microsoft Virtual Academy presentations, more people blogging, and so on. What you’re not likely to see is a huge uptick in books, because traditional book publishers haven’t yet adjusted their models to accommodate the rapid release schedule of the product, meaning books are often outdated before they’re even published.
Desired State Configuration is going to be huge
Even people who’ve ignored Windows PowerShell are going to get on board with Desired State Configuration (DSC). This is the one technology that you should be learning and playing with. No, there isn’t much in the way of documentation yet, and there might never be. The folks who succeed with DSC will be those who are comfortable experimenting, figuring it out, and coding custom resources as needed. Welcome to DevOps. Oh, and watch for “DSC Camp” at my house in Las Vegas in August 2015 (watch DonJones.com for details).
Community will become more important
Successful “PowerShellers” will be those who are engaged with the worldwide community through resources like PowerShell.org. They’ll be the ones who not only post questions, but also offer answers. They’ll be teaching by means of blog posts and webinars. They’ll be attending the Windows PowerShell Summit. Windows PowerShell is changing faster than even Microsoft can keep up, it seems, and staying engaged on a day-to-day basis will be the only way to keep up yourself.
There will be another Scripting Games
This one’s easy, because it’s already in the works, under the leadership of the Master of Games, Mike Robbins. Keep an eye on PowerShell.org for an opportunity to test your Windows PowerShell “sk1llz” and creativity with new challenges that are suitable for all levels of expertise.
Microsoft will release a slew of DSC resources
They’ve been doing this a lot. They’re up to Wave 7 of the DSC Resource Kit as I write this—and they’re going to keep doing it. What’s more, community resources like the PowerShell.org DSC GitHub repo will really take off, hosting more-capable versions of Microsoft experimental resources with independently developed resources. Windows PowerShell and DSC will start to look like a “real” development universe.
Past predictions might eventually come true
A couple of my earlier predictions haven’t yet happened, but maybe they still will:
- Folks haven’t taken up PowerShell Web Access (PWA) as much as I’d hoped they would in 2013.
- People are still manipulating Excel programmatically through its awkward COM-based interface, instead of (as I predicted in 2013) moving to sensible data storage in SQL Server and using Reporting Services to produce better looking output.
~Don Thanks for your insight, Don. I invite you to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. If you have any questions, send email to me at scripter@microsoft.com, or post your questions on the Official Scripting Guys Forum. See you tomorrow. Until then, peace.
Ed Wilson, Microsoft Scripting Guy
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