PAT BAILEY said
This book has a good balance of foundational information and practical applications of Powershell 2.0. If there was a version of this for Powershell 1.0 I wish I had known about it. :-) The author assumes that you have some background in scripting so it doesn't come across as a pure beginner's book. The book provides practical examples for Powershell in the Windows environment and some background information on each subject. It has an appropriate balance between detail and maintaining a "big picture" view of teaching you about how to use Powershell.
The only request I make of the author in a future edition is to provide a little more coverage on loading assemblies through the Reflection.Assembly class. This is a minor issue though because he does discuss when to use it and of course one can always consult the online Microsoft documentation for additional methods.
Some of the big pluses in the book include a "real world" view and I particularly liked the quick overview of SQL Server support and how to add the supporting snapins to the basic Powershell environment - that saved me a lot of time!
Overall, one of the better books out there on the subject for those interested in a hands-on approach.
J. Woodhouse said
I assumed the book would focus on a bunch on PS One-Liners for basic administration tasks. Stanek proved me wrong, he jumped into key points that I assumed would have been left out because of the nature of the book e.g. "quick and dirty guide to just get it done". He proved me wrong. He touched on the skills required to actually write PS scripts, manage profiles and moved beyond just the quick PS One-Liners that you find in other books.
Another job well done by Stanek. I own every pocket consultant he has ever written. I even own second editions and almost own all of his non pocket consultant titles.
His books are a must have for any seasoned Windows IT administrator. Owning one of his books separates the men from the boys.
D. P. Willey said
I am a huge fan of the Pocket consultant series. William Stanek never ceases to amaze me with how much useful information he can pack into his pocket consultants and all while providing clear discussion and excellent examples. Windows Powershell Pocket consultant provides in depth, authoritative advice and answers for everyone who wants to learn how Powershell works and can be put to use. This is a book I wish I had a few years back and I've learned more from reading the text in the past few weeks than I had in the past 2 years of trying to learn PS without it. I don't care how many powershell books you've already purchased, make room on your shelf for this one. This is one you will use and refer to often.
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