Summary: Microsoft Windows PowerShell MVP (and honorary Scripting Guy) Don Jones makes his Windows PowerShell predictions for the New Year.
Microsoft Scripting Guy, Ed Wilson, is here. A couple of years ago, I had this bright idea—I would make Windows PowerShell predictions for the New Year. Now, to be fair, I deliberately chose a non-product ship year to ensure that “I played fair” and that I did not violate any confidentiality agreements I have in place. Anyway, I failed miserably. So this year, I decided to ask Microsoft Windows PowerShell MVP and honorary Scripting Guy Don Jones to be the guest prognosticator. Don is well-known to readers of the Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog post. We are really lucky that Don can take time out for his predictions.
Now, without further ado, here is Jones ... Don Jones!
Windows PowerShell Predictions for 2013
Thanks, Ed. Hello, all! Don Jones, President of PowerShell.org here. In many ways, 2012 was the year that the Windows PowerShell community really hit its stride. More new user groups started in cities all over the world, we founded PowerShell.org, and Windows PowerShell 3.0 was released alongside Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. Windows PowerShell itself turned 6 years old, and I hit the five-year mark on my Windows PowerShell column at TechNet Magazine (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff628337.aspx?sdmr=windowspowershell&sdmi=columns).
But I predict that 2013 is going to be even bigger and better for the world of Windows PowerShell.
I predict that you’ll see even more local user groups pop up. Keep track of them at www.PowerShellGroup.org, or the budding new directory at www.PowerShell.org/groups. As more and more IT professionals and developers start digging into Windows PowerShell, these user groups will play a critical role in educating and supporting them. PowerShell.org is assisting with that effort by sponsoring user group meetings, helping them buy pizza, and paying for other meeting expenses.
I predict that the Scripting Games—now hosted by the community at www.PowerShell.org/games—will be bigger and better than ever. We’ve built a dedicated software platform to host the games, and we’re focusing the event even more on education and improvement.
I predict that thousands of you will install Windows PowerShell Web Access, a feature of Windows Server 2012, in your datacenters. You’ll tickle your colleagues by running Windows PowerShell commands from any web-enabled device—including your smartphone, no matter who makes it.
I predict that nearly every Microsoft server product will ship with Windows PowerShell support built right in. Actually, this is a pretty easy one since we’re almost already there, and since System Center 2012 Configuration Manager—one of the final holdouts—should be shipping cmdlets in Service Pack 1 in early 2013.
I predict that IT pros will finally start shifting away from programmatically manipulating Excel, with its complex and sometimes awkward COM interface, to produce management reports. More of you will start populating a SQL Server Express database with data from Windows PowerShell and using Reporting Services to pump out beautiful, automated reports. (There’s even a free book to get you started at www.PowerShellBooks.com.)
I predict that more and more of you will start enabling Windows PowerShell Remoting and using it to manage your enterprise right from your seat. You’ll start reducing your reliance on Remote Desktop and even start exploring Server Core for more and more server roles.
I predict that thousands of you will stop manually messing around with ZIP files in Windows PowerShell, and instead, get the awesome Windows PowerShell Community Extensions (http://pscx.codeplex.com) to manipulate them, along with dozens of other cool utilities.
Finally, I predict that we’ll pass the 500-person mark at www.PowerShell.org/people. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a site where you can post a profile about your Windows PowerShell projects and accomplishments. You do so by actually writing a Windows PowerShell script—so just getting your profile online is a kind of proof that you’ve mastered the Shell, at least to some degree. We’re just at the 60-person mark as I write this, so you’ve still got time to claim your official Windows PowerShell People name!
While making predictions is fun, making them come true is even more fun. I hope you’ll help me make these ones come true—let’s circle back in 2014 and see how you did!
~Don
Thank you, Don, for writing down your predictions for Windows PowerShell in the year of 2013.
Join me tomorrow when I will talk about more Windows PowerShell cool 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