Writing Cmdlets for Windows PowerShell

I've just seen a cool article on Bennie's Weblog over on the Foo Theory site. Entitled Writing Custom Cmdlets for Windows PowerShell, it is a long and involved piece covering both some intro material on PowerShell plus full details on how to create a new Cmdlet using Visual Studio.

Technorati Tags: PowerShell,Cmdlet,Visual Studio

Jerome's Place Bit Torrent Site

As many of my friends know, I collect Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead live shows. I've got just over 1060 live Dead shows, and just under 400 Jerry Garcia shows. Several thousand hours of great music (plus it has to be said, many hours of not so good music - not every show was good!).

I have access to a private bit torrent site, Jerome's Place which shares this music to a small fanatical fraternity of dead heads. The site is looking for some new users, and I've just been provided some invites. If you are a trusthworthy Dead or Jerry fan, have reasonable bandwidth and want access to this treasure trove, send me an email. 'll happily pass one your way as long as the invites last!

[Later - August 2009]

Sadly, Jerome's Place has gone to join Jerry in that great music site in the sky and is no more. I've still got the music I've downloaded from that site, so if you want a copy, contact me and we can work something out.

Technorati Tags: bit torrent,music,Grateful Dead,Jerry Garcia

Updated Windows PowerShell Online

Admittedly, the URL http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978526.aspx does not readily roll off the tongue. So PowerShell users should book mark this page. Microsoft has just updated the TechNet site with the full PowerShell help files. Better yet, these are the latest updates and include fixes, etc. Thanks to superstar June Blender for getting this done.

If the help isn't clear enough for you, use the feedback mechanism to leave a comment. I'm sure these will be actioned as quickly as possible!

Technorati tags: PowerShell Help, TechNet

Getting Hot Fixes for Windows

I wrote last spring about the problems IT Pros can have with getting hot fixes for Microsoft products. I pointed out a Microsoft provided web site that you could use to get a hot fix. Thanks to a comment on my earlier blog article from MSMQ guru John Breakwell, I see that this hot fix web page has been retired.

As John notes in a recent blog article, Microsoft has replaced the web page with something a whole lot better - the hot fixes are now linked directly from the KB article page - something long overdue IMHO!

Thanks John for pointing out this change.

Technorati tags: Microsoft, hot fix, MSMQ

Microsoft Releases Windows Server 2008 RC1 Public Beta

In a pre-christmas peice of generousity, Microsoft has released Windows Server 2008 RC1 to the general public. See the Microsoft web site to download the code and to get a license key. The software is a 30-day evaluation version, but you can get a key for a longer evaluation period.

Microsoft to modify Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy scheme

Microsoft has agreed to modify it's much reviled anti-piracy scheme. As noted on Mary Jo's blog, Microsoft has is to modify Windows Genuine Advantage scheme to drop the "reduced functionality mode". At last, Redmond is seeing sense over this! Mary Jo goes on to say "Microsoft will introduce the changes to future test builds of Windows SP 1 before the final version is released in the first quarter of 2008. Ditto with Windows Server 2008 — the current Windows Server 2008 test builds do not include the WGA changes, but some future builds will."

Technorati tags: Genuine Advantage, Microsoft

OCS Voice Ignite - going to Orlando

Just got the final confirmation through today - I'm heading off to Orlando on Saturday to attend the OCS Voice Ignite event that I wrote about recently. I hit Orlando late on Saturday night, with a day to hang out with the Global Knowledge crew (and hopefully some rest) before 5 days of deep, deep technical OCS voice stuff. I've started looking at the labs - I can't wait.

I'm booked to help the team re-deliver this in Barcelona (I suspect I'll be a lab rat or similar). And I may also be Australia bound to help re-deliver parts of this seminar in Sydney. So it looks like some fun travel coming up soon!

Technorati tags: OCS 2007, Voice Ignite

What it means to be out of beta (Eurekster Blog)

Not long after posting an article about Swikis, I read this article on the Eurekster blog: What it means to be out of beta (Eurekster Blog) noting that the swiki platform is out of beta. It's an interesting business model - I wish them well.

Technorati tags: swiki, eurekster.com

Swiki - from Eurekster

A swiki is a "custom social search portal on a topic of your choice", says Eurekster.com. In effect, a swiki is a widget you put into a web page and chose the topics that you are interested in. Eurekster then creates a tag cloud based on the tags you supply. What's nice is that as others use your swiki, they can vote on certain search hits, to help the gadget generates more and more relevant content.

I've been playing around with this and have created a PowerShell-Stuff swiki, and have placed it onto this blog. I've also put an OCS-Stuff swiki over on my corporate blog. are these useful/interesting/helpful??

Technorati tags: swiki, Eurekster.com, blog

Visual Studio 2008 Training Kit Requires PowerShell

Super star PowerShell MVP Keith Hill has made an interesting find in Visual Studio's 2008 recent release - it needs PowerShell. Keith describes his find over on his excellent PowerShell focused blog: Visual Studio 2008 Training Kit Requires PowerShell.

Thanks for the find Keith (and thanks for your great blog too!).

Technorati: Keith Hill, PowerShell, Visual Studio 20008

SecPol in Vista Home Premium - there isn't any!

As Susan Bradley has discovered is: There's no secpol in Vista Home Premium and she asks the all important question - now what. Naturally, Susan provides a neat answer - just hack the registry.

This tip will come in handy - I'm getting my wife a new computer and it'll come with Vista loaded and I want to not have to have her deal with UAC.

Thanks Susan.

Technorati: secpol, Vista, Vista Home Premium

Windows Live Writer: Out of Beta

As noted over on the Windows Live Writer blog: Windows Live Writer is out of Beta! I've been using this tool for a while as my principal blogging tool. It rocks!

Technorati Tags: Windows Live Writer