The PowerShell Podcast

PowerShell Pioneer: A Deep Dive with Microsoft PM Jason Helmick

On the latest episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Microsoft's very own Jason Helmick, a celebrated PM on the PowerShell team. Jason takes us on a nostalgic journey through the early days of PowerShell while also recounting his critically acclaimed MVA series with Jeffrey Snover. We hear about his major career shift transitioning to Microsoft and delve into his active involvement in the PowerShell community. Unearthing more PowerShell gems, Jason introduces us to the rising star, Crescendo, and enlightens us about the PSCommunity Call. Not to be missed, we also get clued into the game-changing Azure Cloud Shell. Buckle up for a deep dive into the universe of PowerShell with one of its pioneers, Jason Helmick, on the PowerShell Podcast!

Bio: Jason is a Program Manager on the PowerShell team at Microsoft. He focuses on all things PowerShell, including Predictive IntelliSense, Crescendo, DSC and PlatyPS. One favorite pastime is working with the rapidly growing PowerShell community.

Links and resources:

See The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHJE3jeWLM
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/powershell-adapter-feedback-provider/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axUQPJX7LMw&pp=ygUfc3RldmVuIGJ1Y2hlciBwb3dlcnNoZWxsIHN1bW1pdA%3D%3D
https://aka.ms/JoinPSCall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVUd9_k9C6A
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-azure-cloud-shell-connector-in-windows-terminal/

The Matrix of PowerShell: Security and Automation with Researcher Miriam Wiesner

In our latest PowerShell Podcast, we had an insightful discussion with Miriam Wiesner, a renowned Senior Security Researcher at Microsoft and the author of "PowerShell Automation and Scripting for Cybersecurity." Miriam, who is juggling her roles as a security expert, an author, and a mom, shed light on her journey at Microsoft, talking about the ups and downs she faced. She extended the conversation to her book-writing experience, wherein she balanced work-life pressures to deliver this authoritative guide on PowerShell Automation and Scripting. The discourse was particularly intriguing when it delved into PowerShell security - an area Miriam is so passionate and knowledgeable about. There was certainly so much to learn from our discussion with her!

Bio:  Miriam C. Wiesner is a Sr. Security Researcher at Microsoft with over 15 years of experience in IT and IT Security. She has held various positions, including Administrator/System Engineer, Software Developer, Premier Field Engineer, Program Manager, and Security Consultant and Pentester.
She is also a renowned creator of open-source tools based in PowerShell, including EventList and JEAnalyzer. She was invited multiple times to present her research behind her tools at many international conferences like Black Hat (USA, Europe & Asia), PSConf EU, MITRE ATT&CK workshop, and more.
Miriam is the author of the book "PowerShell Automation and Scripting for CyberSecurity: Hacking and Defense for Red and Blue Teamers." Outside of work, Miriam is a dedicated wife and mother, residing with her family near Nuremberg, Germany.

See The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Csw8YYGyCg

https://github.com/HCRitter/PSMermaid
https://github.com/HCRitter/PSCommandShortener
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/psresourceget-release-candidate-is-now-available/
https://github.com/DevClate/365AutomatedLab
https://www.joshooaj.com/blog/2023/09/06/debugging-convertto-json/

https://twitter.com/miriamxyra/status/1697195685068575222?s=46&t=AofiiK_18fgZEoSxIrqhAA
https://twitter.com/miriamxyra
https://github.com/PSSecTools/JEAnalyzer
https://packt.link/MiriamCW
https://github.com/PSSecTools/JEAnalyzer
https://github.com/miriamxyra/myDeckWishlist
https://github.com/miriamxyra/EventList

Exploring PowerShell, Braid, and beyond with Bruce Payette

In this riveting episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sat down with one of PowerShell's creators, Bruce Payette. Bruce enlightened us on various topics, from the key design principles that spurred PowerShell's success to captivating anecdotes from its inception. We dove into parts of PowerShell that Bruce prides himself on, underlining its growth and capabilities. Bruce's influential book, "PowerShell in Action," was also a subject of our discussion. Lastly, stepping beyond PowerShell, Bruce introduced us to 'Braid,' his intriguing new programming language.

 

See the PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc2xieZHZqo

Educational Odyssey: From Classroom to Cloud with Michael Bender

In this episode, we have a vibrant conversation with Michael Bender who shares his fervor for teaching. We take a deep dive into his educational journey, from academia to course creation at Pluralsight, eventually leading him to his role as a Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. We delve into the significant role of positive feedback, and contemplate how the process of teaching can reveal profound self-insights. Lastly, we discover the origin story of his podcast, 'Wired for Hybrid'.

 

Michael Bender is a Senior Content Developer at Microsoft. He is a former college professor who also authored the PowerShell and Windows Server courses for Plural Site. He has been teaching technology since the 90s helping countless people progress in their careers.

Links:

See The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdczFIKYckg

https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/powershell-getting-started-2022

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/itops-talk-blog/bg-p/ITOpsTalkBlog

Wired for Hybrid - What's New in Azure Networking - July 2023 Edition   

https://gilbertsanchez.com/posts/terminals-shells-and-prompts/ 

 

Unveiling Posh: Exploring James Brundage’s Latest Project

In our much-anticipated second interview with James Brundage, marking a year since his last appearance, we delved into a dynamic array of topics. The episode commenced with a rundown of PowerShell Gallery security, addressing listener feedback and concerns. We also spotlighted a curated selection of beneficial modules as suggested by our listeners. The spotlight then shifted to James' latest brainchild, Posh, unraveling its intricacies and potential. The conversation further unfurled to encompass enlightening discussions on EzOut, the nuances of battling typosquatting, the emergence of a new PowerShell user group, and we learned what dynamic polymorphism is and why that matters.

 

James Brundage has been heavily involved in PowerShell for over 15 years. He is a former member of the PowerShell team, working there during v2 and v3. He now works as a consultant with Start-Automating, applying his PowerShell expertise to organizations to help solve large-scale problems all around the world. He also has a lot of great projects on GitHub and regularly shares his knowledge at user groups and conferences.

 

Watch the PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVJqnaKJ1VY

https://github.com/ctigeek/InvokeQueryPowershellModule

https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/MSAL.PS/

https://github.com/Badgerati/Pode

https://github.com/jborean93/PowerShell-Yayaml

https://github.com/darkoperator/Posh-SSH

https://github.com/StartAutomating/PSSVG

https://github.com/StartAutomating

https://github.com/StartAutomating/Irregular

https://github.com/StartAutomating/EZOut

https://github.com/StartAutomating/Posh

powershellgallery.com

MSAL.PS 4.37.0.0

The MSAL.PS PowerShell module wraps MSAL.NET functionality into PowerShell-friendly cmdlets and is not supported by Microsoft. Microsoft support does not extend beyond the underlying MSAL.NET library. For any inquiries regarding the PowerShell module itself, you may contact the author on GitHub or PowerShell Gallery.

MSAL.NET (Microsoft.Identity.Client) is an authentication library that enables you to acquire tokens from Azure AD, to access protected Web APIs (Microsoft APIs or applications registered with Azure Active Directory).

Shell-Shocked: PowerShell Gallery Security, Reddit Questions, and more

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we thank our listeners on reaching 60k downloads, discuss Fred's upcoming security deep dive on Discord, and answer some of Reddit’s biggest questions. We'll delve into the benefits of PowerShell on macOS and Linux, evaluate PowerShell Gallery security flaws, and examine Christian Ritter and Evotec's perspectives on creating PSCustomObjects. We also dip into PowerShell Crescendo with Andrew and Jordan. Stay tuned for an exciting mix of insights and best practices.

Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u_Jc9SBMlU

 

Resource links:
https://youtu.be/Owai4ptW4kg - Let’s talk PS Crescendo by Stephen Valdinger
Fred Security Deep Dive - https://discord.gg/ywFudxVb?event=1138121681089613955

https://www.deusinmachina.net/p/the-case-for-powershell-on-macos

https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/15trf8s/are_there_any_benefits_to_using_powershell_over/

https://blog.aquasec.com/powerhell-active-flaws-in-powershell-gallery-expose-users-to-attacks

https://hcritter.devdojo.com/powershell-creating-an-empty-pscustomobject

https://evotec.xyz/unlocking-powershell-magic-different-approach-to-creating-empty-pscustomobjects/

https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell-RFC/tree/master/CommunityCall

https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/15tpj28/how_do_you_all_get_a_good_grasp_on_powershell_and/

 

Shaun Lawrie: Procrastination, Pixels and PowerShell

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we dive deep into conversation with Shaun Lawrie, an enthusiast who's made waves in the PowerShell community. We discover Shaun's love for defaults, and this makes Jordan’s day. He also gives us a sneak peek into his PwshPaint project, illustrating the versatility of PowerShell beyond conventional uses. From making his first GitHub PR to earning recognition from Jeffrey Snover, Shaun's journey is all about growth, persistence, and innovation. We also explore the unconventional topic of 'weaponizing procrastination' where Shaun spills his strategies of turning downtime into productive outputs. Wrapping up with some exciting insights into the PwshSpectreConsole project, this episode is packed with intelligence, creativity, and awesome PowerShell projects!

 

Bio: Shaun Lawrie is an IT professional from Wellington, New Zealand, with a passion for automating his jobs away. He's worked in QA, development, site reliability, and delivery with some of the largest web platforms in New Zealand over the last ten years. He's currently the Platform Engineering Lead at PartsTrader Markets Limited leading a team responsible for improving delivery processes, maintaining quality, and automating all of the things.

 

Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKIJxV-9sFE

Resource Links:
https://github.com/ShaunLawrie/PwshSyntaxHighlight

https://github.com/ShaunLawrie/PwshSpectreConsole

https://github.com/ShaunLawrie/PwshPaint

https://github.com/mdgrs-mei/FancyClearHost

https://twitter.com/jsnover/status/1575503431527452672

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V12kdKbgo98

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/desired-state-configuration-dsc-planning-update/

 

From Cloud to Console: Harm Veenstra’s PowerShell Perspectives

We had a cool chat with Harm Veenstra, the guy behind powershellisfun.com. We got into some neat PowerShell stuff like Out-ConsoleGridView and the -PassThru parameter. Harm also gave us the lowdown on when to quit the cloud and spilled the beans on running his blog. Plus, he shared how he keeps up with the quick mojo of the tech world. Tune in for a fun and laid-back tech talk!

 

Harm Veenstra is a seasoned Microsoft Consultant with an affinity for everything tech. Since beginning his career in 1996 at a Helpdesk, he's traversed through various specialties, including Citrix, VMware, Storage, and Networking, eventually finding his passion in PowerShell and Microsoft Intune. An ardent tech enthusiast, his hardware and software knowledge spectrum saw an expansion as he navigated from batch to cmd to being a proponent of PowerShell since its second version. Alongside his impressive professional journey, Veenstra is a proud father of two teenagers, a soccer fan, and a high BPM house music aficionado. His keenness for all things Microsoft led him to start a blog site last year, which became quickly popular among tech devotees.

Resource Links:

Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1wX1duwANk

https://clatent.com/2023/07/one-liner-wednesday-july-26-2023/

https://github.com/StartAutomating/Posh

https://powershellisfun.com/

https://github.com/HarmVeenstra

https://twitter.com/HarmVeenstra

https://powershellisfun.com/2023/01/23/server-side-filtering-in-powershell/

[GitHub - DevClate/365AutomatedLab: This module will create a Microsoft 365 Test Environment](https://github.com/DevClate/365AutomatedLab/)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/administer-remote-computers-use-windows-powershell/

https://powershellisfun.com/2022/05/30/reading-rss-feeds-in-powershell/

https://powershellisfun.com/2023/07/26/powershell-out-consolegridview-and-f7history/