Summary: Microsoft Scripting Guy, Ed Wilson, talks about the Windows PowerShell summit in Seattle, and why you should care.

 Hey, Scripting Guy! Can you tell me why I should attend the Windows PowerShell summit in Seattle? I am wondering if it would be worth my while. I have been using Windows PowerShell for a while, and I feel like I know almost everything there is to know about Windows PowerShell. So how useful can this Summit really be?

—SH

 Hello SH,

Microsoft Scripting Guy, Ed Wilson, is here. This afternoon is shaping up to be a lovely day. I spent the morning teaching a Windows PowerShell class to a group of writers via LYNC. It was fun, and there were lots of questions. The Scripting Wife and I have all the windows in our house open, and we are enjoying the fresh breezes that are blowing across Charlotte, North Carolina now. The leaves are starting to change colors, and it is shaping up to be a wonderful fall down here. As someone who loves taking pictures, I am currently ecstatic.

We are also chomping at the bit for another reason: the Windows PowerShell Summit. The Summit will be in Bellevue, Washington (close to our Microsoft campus) for three days in April: April 28, 29, and 30. First of all, Bellevue is a really cool town, and there are excellent restaurants and hotels in the area. Not only this, but it is a great place to take pictures. But those are completely secondary reasons.

One thing is rather interesting. I am not certain I have ever met anyone who knows everything there is to know about Windows PowerShell. In fact, I am not certain I have ever met anyone who knows nearly everything there is to know about Windows PowerShell. I certainly do not know everything about Windows PowerShell—not by a long shot. In fact, I learn new stuff about Windows PowerShell every single day.

I am lucky because my job has me working with Windows PowerShell nearly eight hours a day, every day. Therefore I discover new things about Windows PowerShell on a daily basis. But it is more than just me. There are some really smart people who write about Windows PowerShell, and I pick up stuff via Twitter, via Facebook, via comments on my blog, and other places. On my Windows laptop running Windows 8.1, there are 1,321 cmdlets and functions—and I have not even installed the RSAT tools yet. That is a very wide coverage.

Of course, it is fairly easy to master the basic syntax, learn the operators, and get very good at using the core cmdlets—but to know everything about everything? That is a real stretch. Keep in mind, that the modules are produced by many different teams at Microsoft; and therefore, there are a lot of different technologies represented.

What I like about the Windows PowerShell Summit is that there are so many Windows PowerShell experts all gathered in a single place. Just about any question you could think of, there will be someone there who can answer it. Couple the fact that there are so many Windows PowerShell heavy weights (not literally…well, at least not in all cases are they heavy weights) in one place. In addition, it is a small crowd.

Microsoft TechEd is an awesome conference, and there are tons of experts gathered together from all over the world. It is cool. It is fun. It is also very crowded with audience numbers in the tens of thousands present. The Scripting Wife and I talk to several thousand scripters in a week when at the Scripting Guys booth. Obviously, most of the conversations are rather brief.

Now, at the Windows PowerShell Summit, there are only a couple hundred attendees. Therefore, the one-on-one time is much greater. In addition, the venue facilitates after-hours interaction. Last year, two of the nights, we had dinner parties after the sessions. It was absolutely awesome.

For me, there is absolutely no other place to be. Last year we had attendees from nearly a dozen different countries. It became like a great big family reunion when we got to meet with the various people. The following photo shows a session in progress in the IT Pro track.

SH, that is my opinion about the Windows PowerShell Summit. Join me tomorrow for more cool Windows PowerShell stuff.

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