Back in July, the web was afloat of rumors that Microsoft might be open sourcing PowerShell. Now a little over a month later, those rumors have been confirmed, and PowerShell has officially appeared on GitHub for Windows, Linux and MacOS.
This is an exciting set of news those for those who have previously used the automation platform and scripting language for Windows and Windows Server. Because PowerShell is now cross platform and available elsewhere, those with PowerShell skills can now apply what they have learned to Windows to other platforms as well. Then, those who are unfamiliar with PowerShell will be able to learn, and even extend use and functionality of it as well.
Microsoft has shown interest in being more cross platform and open, and Satya Nadella himself even said, “Microsoft loves Linux.” In fact, an official Microsoft blog post noted that one in three VM’s on Azure are Linux based, and nearly 60 percent of third-party IaaS offers in the Azure Marketplace are open source. Microsoft even recently added Bash to Windows 10, SQL server on Linux, and pen sourced .Net.
This initial release of PowerShell is Alpha based and is community supported through GitHub. Microsoft notes that an official Microsoft version will be based on the community through input and business needs. So, be sure to head over to GitHub and check out PowerShell. While you’re at it, also head over to the getting started guide to try your luck at learning the automation platform and scripting language.
