title: Is Powershell a necessary skill for Windows developers like Bash/Borne is for a Linux/UNIX developer?
body: <p>Given basic shell commands and scripting are necessary for a developer in UNIX-type environments – I'm talking rounded, small-shop, devops types – is Powershell the equivalent for Windows? </p>
  
  <p>I have a Windows 7 machine at work, but I do all my development in a UNIX environment, either on a Mac or a Linux guest with VMWare. I'm not a sysadmin <em>per se</em> but I fill in as one here and there. Grep, sed, awk, the file structure, networking, etc, in UNIX are pretty well ingrained. I've been using these tools for years. Decades, even.  </p>
  
  <p>I have been fooling around on a Windows machine a bit more lately. My habit is to drop down to the command line to get stuff done, rather than all the pointing and clicking mania usually associated with Windows use. But with Powershell I'm totally lost. Nothing makes sense to me. </p>
  
  <p>Is it worth learning? Is this even the way Windows folk work? Is it all going to change suddenly? Are there advantages to becoming a Powershell guru? </p>