11.27.07
You’ve got to love microsoft
I recently started (and I’m waaaay behind the curve on this one) learning PowerShell, the Microsoft scripting language formerly known as Monad. I suppose it’s about time they came up with a scripting solution, as many of us with scripts to write on windows machines have been relying on CygWin, bash and perl for a long time now. But here’s the uniquely MS slant on things (from CodeProject):
Windows PowerShell is entirely different from the existing traditional shells like Windows CMD Shell or the UNIX Shells like SH, KSH, CSH, and BASH.
That’s right: all that stuff you already know from your previous adventures in scripting? Throw it all out, it’s no good to you here. And of course, if you’re completely new to shell scripting, heaven forbid that anything you learn from PowerShell scripting should find itself applicable in UNIXland. The last thing we want is for you to be able to transfer your skills across platforms. Because then maybe you’d *gasp* get rid of your windows servers and replace them with evil baby-eating *NIX boxes. NOOOO!!!!
Of course MS have to make money, so naturally they want to lock people into their technologies. It’s also possible that they have found a great solution to the problem of how to write concise reliable maintainable scripts. I am a tolerant guy so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. Maybe PowerShell can do all sorts of neato stuff that would be a nightmare in bash/Perl/python/name your poison. Time will tell.