James Petty

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James Petty

245 articles published

1 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Turtles All the Way Down: PowerShell and Graphics with James Brundage

James Brundage returns to The PowerShell Podcast to talk about his new project, Turtle, which brings the classic concept of Turtle graphics into PowerShell. From simple shapes to fractals, animations, and more, James shows how PowerShell can be a powerful and fun tool for exploring programming concepts. Tune in for insights on the history of Turtle, its modern applications, and how it can inspire both new learners and seasoned pros.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Unlocking Automation with AI Shell and Desired State Configuration with Jason Helmick

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we’re live from TechMentor at the Microsoft campus with two incredible guests: longtime advocate, educator, and PM on the PowerShell team at Microsoft - Jason Helmick and newcomer Troy Brown. This special episode captures the heart of community, innovation, and the transformative power of PowerShell—from seasoned insight to beginner breakthroughs. Jason drops serious knowledge on two game-changing technologies: AI Shell: Think ChatGPT, but built directly into your terminal.

1 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Live from TechMentor: Profiles, People, and PowerShell Progress with Sean Wheeler and James Petty

In this episode, Andrew catches up with Sean Wheeler and James Petty live from TechMentor. What starts as casual conversation about conference camaraderie turns into a rich discussion on learning PowerShell, building effective profiles, AI-assisted scripting, module recommendations, and what’s next for the PowerShell Summit. Whether you’re new to PowerShell or a seasoned scripter, this episode offers insights, laughs, and actionable advice. Plus, we finally settle (sort of) whether the VS Code sidebar belongs on the left or the right.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast PSStucco, Accessibility, and the Power of Templating in PowerShell with Gilbert Sanchez & Jake Hildreth

In this high-energy episode, returning guests Gilbert Sanchez and Jake Hildreth join Andrew for a deep dive into: Module templating with PSStucco Building for accessibility in PowerShell Creating open source GitHub orgs like PSInclusive How PowerShell can lead to learning modern dev workflows like GitHub Actions and CI/CD What begins with a conversation about a live demo gone hilariously sideways turns into an insightful exploration of how PowerShell acts as a launchpad into bigger ecosystems like GitHub, YAML, JSON, and continuous integration pipelines.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast From EntraAuth to PSConfEU with Fred Weinmann

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, host Andrew Pla reunites with PowerShell legend Fred, diving deep into productivity with hotkeys and key bindings, EntraAuth, C# integration, and community reflections from PowerShell Conference EU. Fred shares practical advice for improving your daily workflow, how to extend PowerShell with C#, and why participation in the community—whether through conferences or contributing modules—can be a game-changer for your career. What You’ll Learn: How to improve your coding efficiency with advanced hotkeys and key bindings

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Are PowerShell Pros Ready for C# – Ryan Coats

In this insightful episode of the PowerShell Podcast, host Andrew Pla welcomes longtime friend and seasoned technologist Ryan Coates. Together, they explore the intersection of PowerShell and C#, discuss the natural evolution of tech careers, and examine the role of continuous learning in long-term success. Ryan shares a wealth of perspective from decades in IT—covering everything from early networking to modern cloud architectures and why C# is a practical next step for PowerShell users.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast The Power of Splatting and Team Empowerment

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, Andrew Pla welcomes longtime friend and DevOps Endpoint Engineer David Richmond. Fresh off his PowerShell Wednesday presentation, David shares insights into the power of splatting in PowerShell, centralizing automations, and driving organizational change through best practices and leadership. The conversation explores the evolution of automation practices, Git adoption in Ops, secrets management using Azure Key Vault, and how empowering others can multiply technical impact.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast PSConfEU 2025 Bar Sessions: Community, Code & Connection

In this special live episode recorded amidst the rain-soaked streets of Malmö duringPSConfEU 2025, host Andrew Pla brings us a vibrant, multi-guest edition of the PowerShell Podcast. From impromptu bar chats to in-depth discussions on PowerShell modules, CI/CD pipelines, career growth, and community culture, this episode captures the heart of the PowerShell community in full force. Hear from speakers, first-time attendees, longtime community contributors, and PowerShell legends as they share their stories, projects, career journeys, favorite sessions, and the human side of tech.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Building Layers of Protection and Purpose – Miriam Wiesner

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we catch up with returning guest and security research program manager at Microsoft, Miriam Wiesner. Recorded live at PowerShell Conference EU in Malmö, Sweden, we dive into her fascinating journey from Premier Field Engineer to her current role in security research. Miriam reflects on her early talks about Just Enough Administration (JEA), shares insights into MFA bypass techniques involving browser cookies (with a fun appearance from Cookie Monster), and emphasizes the importance of defense-in-depth and layered security.

2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Behind the Shell with Microsoft

In this episode, recorded live at PSConfEU, Andrew catches up with some of the PowerShell team from Microsoft to talk all things PowerShell—from AIShell to PSResourceGet to the future of DSC and OpenSSH. First up is Steven Bucher, Product Manager on the PowerShell team, who discusses the massive scale of PowerShell usage, the state of PowerShell 7, and the team’s focus on security and reliability. He also gives an exciting walkthrough of AIShell and how it’s helping users stay in the terminal while getting AI-driven help, error resolution, and integration with providers like Azure OpenAI and AI Foundry.