Prof. Powershell
PowerShell Reading List
My secret for learning Microsoft's scripting technology? Check out these blogs.
- By Jeffery Hicks
- 03/01/2009
PowerShell alone can't teach you PowerShell. If you really want to go to the head of the class, you'll need some additional outside reading.
Blogs are an excellent source of information. The information is timely, posts are usually short and they're delivered right to your desk or mobile device. Here are some blogs I encourage you to check out.
First, you absolutely must read the PowerShell team blog from Microsoft. This is the best way to learn what's coming from PowerShell. The team usually posts terrific examples of how to use PowerShell. Follow Jeffrey Snover and the gang here.
If you have Citrix duties and are wondering how PowerShell will fit in, take a look at PowerShell MVP Brandon Shell's blog, BSonPoSH. Shell's blog includes quite a bit about PowerShell, Citrix and Active Directory.
For AD and PowerShell information, your first stop should be Quest's Dmitry Sotnikov's blog. Here, you can get the lowdown on using PowerShell for AD, especially the free Quest AD cmdlets.
I also think you'll get a lot out of Richard Siddaway's blog. Lately Siddaway's been quite active, posting a number of examples that cover topics like IIS and SQL.
Even though Shell, Sotnikov and Siddaway are all PowerShell MVPs, I don't want you to think they're the only ones with excellent PowerShell information. I urge you to also visit the PowerScripting podcast. You won't even have to read! Hal Rottenberg and Jonathon Walz -- future MVPs, for sure -- put out a high-quality weekly podcast all about PowerShell. They usually include a lively interview -- I was a recent guest -- and some terrific tips. They also broadcast live on UStream, so you can participate. Definitely great stuff.
Finally, please don't forget blog.sapien.com. I post there quite a bit about PowerShell and other scripting languages such as VBScript. You can also keep abreast of training classes and conferences where I'll be speaking.
There are many other excellent sources for PowerShell information. These are just a few to get started. Now go hit those blogs.
About the Author
Jeffery Hicks is an IT veteran with over 25 years of experience, much of it spent as an IT infrastructure consultant specializing in Microsoft server technologies with an emphasis in automation and efficiency. He is a multi-year recipient of the Microsoft MVP Award in Windows PowerShell. He works today as an independent author, trainer and consultant. Jeff has written for numerous online sites and print publications, is a contributing editor at Petri.com, and a frequent speaker at technology conferences and user groups.