Windows PowerShell for Developers

Chapter 11. PowerShell Version 3

As of this writing, PowerShell v3 has been making its way to the public in the form of technology previews and with Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. The CTPs require Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (http://bit.ly/KKXSBM).

PowerShell v3 kicks things up a notch and is a multifront automation package. Windows Server 2012 delivers over 2,300 PowerShell cmdlets, up from 400. The product is better, faster, and more reliable; PowerShell has been refitted to use the Dynamic Language Runtime, or DLR (see http://bit.ly/198u7X).

Note

As Joel Bennett notes, because PowerShell 3 is based on the DLR, “scripts and functions are no longer (re)interpreted each time they’re run; rather they are compiled, executed, and (sometimes) cached.” For more details, see Joel’s article here: http://bit.ly/z4qwkB.

PowerShell v3 also delivers on the client, adding more functionally across the board and making life easier to automate so we can do more business and add more value.

There is way too much to cover, so I’m going to pull out the PowerShell v3 pieces that I think highlight its benefits best. I (highly) recommend you install PowerShell v3, specifically Windows 8, and use this new version. PowerShell is not going away. Your investment in it not only makes you more productive, but it’ll also help you rethink how to accomplish your daily tasks and write the components you deliver ...