Anyone know a good .Net Framework book that's written for Admins? It seems all the books out there assume extensive C++ or C# development knowledge.

It would be great to get a .Net book specifically for PowerShell, although I know it's too soon for that right now...

What would you expect the said book to contain? What I mean, is what would you like it to tell you?

I would love to see a book that goes over advanced uses of .NET in PowerShell.

I m looking for an intermediate book to get a better understanding of .NET. It seems the books are either for developers (too specific and requiring development backgrounds) or for admins (not enough details).

Hmm. That's an odd middle ground. I'd say that, if you're going to start using .NET Framework classes in PowerShell, you're pretty much crossing the line into development with all that implies. The Framework itself wasn't made for admins, so nobody's ever really produced a book for that audience. Having done a lot of Framework dev myself in VB.NET, I'm not sure I can wrap my head around what an administrator-only audience would want to see that would differ... any specific examples you could provide would be a big help, and maybe even drive me to find an author and get SAPIEN Press to publish such a book!

I think the book should be a transitional book for admins to move to full-fledged .NET development. Even though .NET was never written for admins, PowerShell can make .NET a powerful admin tool. I dont know how others feel about it, but I think PowerShell makes .NET less intimidating than say firing up Visual Studio and attempting to write a vb.net or C# app.

Hmm. Interesting thought... let me mull it over and see if I can find an interested author.

To be honest.. this would be more like a booklet.

The only thing an Admins needs to know about .NET is basic Developement stuff like
What is a class?
What is a constructor?
What is a static field?
What is a static Method?
What is a Enum?

Outside of that, you dont need to know much. If you your expecting to know everything about .NET (i.e. all the classes and how they are used.) I don't think there is a book that even comes close.

As a DBA I can relate to the need for .NET guidance. However, the comming of Powershell and most specifically the get-member cmdlet has been a great help to my own unguided discovery of the mysteries of .NET.

I would love to see the MSDN pages fleshed out with Powershell examples.

Since Don didn't mention it,,,, his book "Windows Powershell: TFM" contains a nice consice version of the .Net Framework essentials.

 

You know, an "e-booklet" that expands on the "essentials" chapter in my book might be just the thing, Brandon - cover some of those exact questions. I think a full book could go into more recipe-like stuff with performing specific tasks using specific classes (e.g., tons of examples), but I think you're right; a lot of the basic knowledge could be in a fairly slim volume. Maybe in my copious spare time .

Steve, I wouldn't count on seeing the MSDN pages get PowerShell examples anytime in our lifetime - the Framework's doc team has to cover devs, first, and I don't think they "see" the Framework as something admins interact with (reality may differ, of course) - I think much of Microsoft sees PowerShell as "hiding" the Framework behind cmdlets, without perhaps realizing that some admins are willing to dive a bit deeper.

Frankly, a decent primer on how to translate the MSDN pages into PowerShell-ese might be just the thing. Again, in my spare time, of course . This is something I see more as a freebie (I'm not sure folks would pay $5 or whatever for an e-booklet, even), so it'd be prioritized accordingly.

Unless folks think it should maybe just take the form of a Wiki, here? Then we could all contribute and get it done?

I think a small PDF would be good. Although... I dont think $5 would be to much. To be honest I think the process of buying it would be the only stumbling block.

I would say for $5 we could cover the questions I brought up with real world examples. Should be pretty quick to get out there as well.

Ok. Maybe I'll make this a holiday project unless someone wants to volunteer to write it and just have me assemble it into a nice PDF book (and if we charge for it, pay royalties, of course)!

I would be glad to write it, but I am not NEAR the writer that you are
You would probably have it done before I even got half way through.

Maybe there isnt enough material for an entire book, but how about an advanced PowerShell book that can cover things like:

- Advanced cmdlet usage, scripting and cmdlets that the typical admin might ignore at first (like measure-command)
- .NET
- Touch on cmdlet development (covering c# and vb.net)

Going over .NET in PowerShell could be a good transition for people to then move to C# or VB.NET development. I see PowerShell as a tool that can bridge the gap between admins and developers by demystifying .NET for admins.

It is funny you bring up an Advanced Powershell book... I was just having a discussion today with a co-worker on the that exact subject.

Basically, IMO, there isnt enough of a market out there for such a book. In a year or two, there will be a view, but spending literally 100s of hours on a book that will probably not sell that well... I know wouldnt do it.

We are in the awkward stage of a product life cycle and it just takes time. The good news is there are tons of blogs and good info out there.

You should check out the ToC in our 2nd edition (www.sapienpress.com/powershell2.asp) if you haven't - pretty durn advanced stuff (custom views, custom type extensions, GUI, lotsa .NET usage). I'm hoping the market will catch up . Of course, it's got absolute beginner stuff, too, so it's something someone could get now and then grow into over time. But your point is definitely well-taken.

I decided to take a whack at this Framework-tutorial thing in the FAQ Wiki. You'll see a new top-level-topic - please, feel free to explore. Correct typos. Expand the content. Or, post in the main PowerShell forum if you'd like to offer suggestions, ask for clarification on certain points, etc.

I don't mind taking on the task of making major edits and additions, to keep things consistent - do feel free to correct any typos you find directly, though (you need to make sure the site is in "edit" mode, which is a radio button on the top-left of the page, so that the Wiki "edit" link will appear at the bottom of each article). I'm really open to suggestions on how this can be made clearer - let me know what doesn't seem clear to you, now.

Hey Don,

Will your 2nd Edition be a replacement of the 1st one?

Meaning, I'm new to PowerShell but want a more in-depth book than the Ed Wilson Step-by-Step.
Can I buy the 2nd Edition only, or is it different enough that I should get both?

Put your wallet back in your pocket and try to be honest. lol

Steve

Yah, the 2nd edition replaces the 1st. We dropped the cmdlet reference, but didn't drop anything else - just reorganized the material and vastly expanded it. The 1st edition is now out-of-print, or will be shortly. You can get the whole table of contents - it's in the Library, here on this site. But no need to buy both at all.

I'm never not honest when it comes to books . I always recommend Bruce Payette's since it covers stuff from a viewpoint almost nobody else could have, and now that I'm getting into it, I like Lee Holmes' book a lot, too (also a sample of it in the Library here). It's less education and more cookbook, so it's a reach-for when you've got a specific task to perform and just need to know how.