PowerGadgets has just added a whole new level of "extending" PowerShell. Imagine providing charting facilities to a scripting language, all through its extensibility using .NET.
Already I can image using PowerShell to drive build scripts and "visualize" the red/green status of builds.
Let's see if this is something I can actually do, without breaking the proverbial camel's back.
Link to PowerGadgets: Desktop Reporting and Monitoring for IT/DB Professionals - Who Don't Write Code.
I was giving a presentation on PowerShell, and of all the "demolets" (consistent with cmdlets hehe), it was this one that woke up an already sleepy participant
| $robobabe = new-object -com sapi.spvoice |
| $robobabe.Speak("Powershell rocks. You rocks") |
Now, if only robobabe can check for grammar...
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/webcasts/ps.mspx
Sign up for Windows PowerShell week. There's a webcast for each day of the week, where you will be introduced to the wonders of scripting with PowerShell.
As for me, I'll be posting more of my PowerShell adventures...promise ;-)
So why bother with PowerShell? Let me share with you my personal reasons. I've taken the wisdom of the programming elders to "study at least one new language" each year. I've dabbled in Ruby for a while and used it to drive RMagick. I know it's so lame but it did save my long running website project for a client. I'm not yet done with Ruby (and RubyCLR, Ruby.Net). As an aside, John Lam, of the RubyCLR fame, is officially a Microsoftie come January 2007.
However, PowerShell is a shiny new toy... need I say more :-D
So far I like what I'm seeing. *nix like model, objects instead of text, extensible with .NET, what's not to like?
::update - Thanks jokiz for pointing out the bad link and keith for the right link.