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by JeffreySnover 3507 days ago
That was the approach I took before inventing PowerShell. We didn't WANT to invent a shell - we were forced into it.

The problem was that Bash on Windows wasn't effective. At the heart of the matter is the difference in architecture between Unix and Windows. In Unix, most everything is a file so if you can modify files and restart processes, you can manage everything. In Windows, most everything is an API so tools that manipulate files don't do much for you.

Ergo - we needed an admin automation model which supported an API oriented architecture. Thus PowerShell.

NOTE - Bash on Windows today has a very different focus - it is not about managing Windows (which it still doesn't do) - it is about using OSS tools to develop OSS Software. It does a great job at that.

Jeffrey Snover [MSFT]

1 comments

I don't see PowerShell as a Bash replacement, I see Bash as more of a cmd replacement. I'm a user, but I'm also a developer so Bash works for my needs. PowerShell, not so much. It's powerful, no doubt, but it's not the solution I was looking for. Admins can always fire up PowerShell if they need it.

I didn't WANT to run Windows - I was forced into it.