I use PowerShell a lot and I write about using it to solve problems quite frequently. The fact that I can extending Powershell by interfacing with the .NET Framework or making a COM/COM+ object call means I can do just about anything I need to do in order to manage a Windows system. As a result, I consider PowerShell one of my most powerful tools.

However (you knew there was going to be a however), PowerShell is one tool among many. If you are a smart IT pro, you build your toolbox with the tools that are most appropriate for you. Yes, you take into account where the industry is as well as what your current job(s)/client(s) use. Sometimes that means you choose a tool other than PowerShell. To some, though, that sounds of blasphemy. It shouldn’t be. If you’re a senior IT professional, you should be amenable to finding the right tool for the job, even if it’s not the one you like the most. If you’re at an architect level, you had better be prepared to recommend a technology that is the best fit, not the best liked (by you).

When I think in these terms, it means I don’t build Windows system administration tools with Perl any longer. Unfortunately, even though ActiveState still has a very functional version, Perl has faded greatly from view on the Windows side. Granted, it was never very bright, but there were some big name proponents and it gave a whole lot of functionality not available in VBscript/Cscript/Jscript. That’s why some enterprise shops turned to it. With PowerShell, the functionality provided by Perl on Windows systems, the functionality missing from earlier Microsoft scripting languages, is present. So PowerShell will usually make more sense.

I said usually. I don’t automatically select PowerShell because it is the recommended standard by Microsoft. What clients am I running on? What other languages am I using? For instance, if I’m a heavy Python shop, that can be used to manage Windows systems. It may be more cost effective to write in Python than in PowerShell. If I have linux and Mac OS X platforms, I’m likely not using PowerShell. It’s all about the right tool for the job. And the right tool has more considerations than what a particular company recommends.