Azure & DevOps Podcast

Jeff Wouters: PowerShell Programming - Episode 320

Oct 21, 2024

Jeff Wouters, owner of Methos and a PowerShell enthusiast from The Netherlands, dives into the world of automation and scripting. He reflects on his career's three pivotal moments and the architecture of PowerShell on .NET. Wouters shares common mistakes people make in PowerShell and best practices for DevOps environments. He discusses the importance of exploring module code, leveraging .NET in scripts, and writing automated tests for reliability. Jeff also touches on his upcoming projects and the ongoing journey in the tech community.

33:18

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Episode guests

Jeff Wouters

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Jeff Vauters highlights the transformative power of visualization in learning programming concepts, making them more accessible and manageable for beginners.

The architecture of PowerShell, built on .NET, promotes efficient scripting by enabling seamless command workflows and emphasizing best practices to avoid common pitfalls.

Deep dives

Turning Points in Programming

A significant turning point in Jeff Vauters' programming career occurred when he learned how to effectively learn. This realization led him to understand that he could grasp coding concepts by visualizing them, which made scripting and programming more accessible. His early introduction to PowerShell, particularly the capabilities of PowerShell remoting introduced in version 2, further solidified his passion for automating tasks across multiple systems. Vauters emphasizes the importance of continually learning from peers and embracing challenges, highlighting his journey from being an inexperienced new user to becoming a Microsoft MVP in PowerShell.

Intro

3min

PowerShell Programming Insights

11min

Exploring PowerShell Modules for .NET Developers

3min

PowerShell and .NET: Streamlining Development and Testing

10min

The Journey Back to Public Speaking and Audience Engagement

2min

Navigating Virtual Presentations and PowerShell Resources

4min

Jeff was born and raised in The Netherlands and is an IT geek with a passion for automation. At the young age of 6, he had his very first computer and started developing his own Pacman to learn Batch programming. Looking back, the performance was terrible, but it worked. Over the years, he has always kept in touch with some sort of scripting or programming languages, such as Batch, (Turbo) Pascal, PHP, Delphi, Kixtart, Visual Basic Scripting (VBS), VB .NET, PowerShell, and C# .NET (Core). He is the owner of Methos, a consultancy and managed services company from The Netherlands focused on Microsoft Modern Workplace (Windows + Intune + Office365) and Azure through automation and Infrastructure-as-Code.

Topics of Discussion:

[4:19] Jeff’s passion and the three turning points in his career.

[8:47] The architecture and intention behind PowerShell being built on .NET.

[12:33] What are the biggest mistakes Jeff sees people making when it comes to PowerShell?

[11:50] Best practices for using PowerShell in DevOps environments, and common mistakes to avoid.

[16:04] Differences between binary and PowerShell-based modules, and the benefits of exploring module code.

[18:18] Leveraging .NET code in PowerShell scripts and the advantages of this approach.

[20:00] Preferred methods for writing automated tests for PowerShell code.

[23:39] Jeff’s current focus areas, including certifications and his upcoming “script portal” project.

Mentioned in this Episode:

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