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Comment by andrewd18 | Hacker News Reader

> This cmdlet is introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

So... I can only guarantee it's included on my customers' computers if they have Windows 8 or higher. I'm happy most of them moved from XP to 7. Maybe I can start shipping PowerShell instead of batch files in 2020.

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I don't think that's really the point. The point is that the unix command line has some serious shortcomings in its fundamental design. By extension he may be suggesting that maybe we should get off our asses and do something about it because windows has actually managed to ship something that's not only good, but better than any of the comparable options on *nix.

Agreed, GP's post was about the technical merits of PS. PowerShell may be the greatest thing since virtual desktops, but that doesn't help me until PS 3.0 is included in the OS by default. Since my customer base is decidedly conservative on OS upgrades, it's going to be a while until I can try out any of those great PS features.

I don't see how it's better. You can send objects over pipes if you want to (in, for example, json format).

If PowerShell wants to be the bloated Word-equivalent of shells that's certainly a design objective. I'm sure someone will eventually do a Mono or systemd of it, saving UNIX from the tragedy of not working like Windows. But it smells of Taligent.

Does it smell like people, places or things? ;)

PowerShell 4 for Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=4085...

But it is not installed by default, which means you'll have to tell your users to find and install it first.

Package a bootstrapping batch script that installs the MSI, maybe? (I don't know your clients' requirements, obviously.)

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