Windows 8: cmd or Powershell?

[htcz]

With Powershell now released 4 years ago, I think it has come time to completely replace cmd in Windows 8. AFAIK, it does 99% of the things cmd does and alot more so why not?

So Windows 8: cmd or Powershell?

I pick Powershell default, no cmd at all. If someone trys to call cmd, it automatically starts Powershell (cmd being a new alias for Powershell) and/or (again cmd being a alias for Powershell) it again automatically starts Powershell but, since it has been called thru a cmd alias, it starts out in a "cmd compatibility mode"

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

CMD is there just for the old folks like me that were used to DOS. :/

[htcz]

CMD is there just for the old folks like me that were used to DOS. :/

Powershell is the exact same thing. Any normal and logic command that you use in CMD and/or DOS, is avaliable in Powershell. If it isnt, there is problably something better and more powerful that replaces it (but AFAIK, every command is avaliable)

[n_K]

Powershell looked pretty god-damn awful when I last launched it on a small screen resolution, I'll stick with cmd and if people try to remove it from working, I'll just get cmd.exe and replace the replaced cmd.exe and powershell.exe with the proper cmd.exe

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Powershell is the exact same thing. Any normal and logic command that you use in CMD and/or DOS, is avaliable in Powershell. If it isnt, there is problably something better and more powerful that replaces it (but AFAIK, every command is avaliable)

I know that and I agree with you, Cmd should be removed, Microsoft only left it in Windows 7 for the old time users that won't advance themselves with the new technology.

[-KJ]

I just assumed Powershell was a just a more powerful shell extension of CMD, and not a successor. If it runs everything CMD did, then what's the purpose of keeping CMD? Just for familiarity for those who continue to make heavy use of cli?

[bruNo_]

It depends. I won't use Powershell to just check connectivity in my network, cmd is much faster to do it, windows + r -> cmd and voi la. IMO Powershell is designed for System Administration and scripting.

[htcz]

I just assumed Powershell was a just a more powerful shell extension of CMD, and not a successor. If it runs everything CMD did, then what's the purpose of keeping CMD? Just for familiarity for those who continue to make heavy use of cli?

Maybe should have posted this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_PowerShell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_Prompt

It depends. I won't use Powershell to just check connectivity in my network, cmd is much faster to do it, windows + r -> cmd and voi la. IMO Powershell is designed for System Administration and scripting.

windows + r -> powershell

or you can set a alias for powershell for example p and type

windows + r -> p

And there you go: Its faster than cmd.

Powershell looked pretty god-damn awful when I last launched it on a small screen resolution, I'll stick with cmd and if people try to remove it from working, I'll just get cmd.exe and replace the replaced cmd.exe and powershell.exe with the proper cmd.exe

When was the last time you used it? We are currently at 2.0 and 3.0 is in preview (might be included in the Windows 8 dev release, not sure)

[bruNo_]

windows + r -> powershell

or you can set a alias for powershell for example p and type

windows + r -> p

And there you go: Its faster than cmd.

Yes I know that, but I won't invoke powershell just to ping an asset. And this is just ridiculous.

[n_K]

When was the last time you used it? We are currently at 2.0 and 3.0 is in preview (might be included in the Windows 8 dev release, not sure)

The version included with some addon to XP from back in the day.

But I still don't see why you're anal on trying to get rid of cmd?

McDonalds uses thin clients with DOS, do you think instead they should scrap the thin client idea, get new workstations with core i5s, guis, windows 7 and a load of rubbish that isn't needed, just because they could?

CMD is simple, fast, effective and serves a purpose. Powershell is something completely different and serves a different purpose, it's not meant for everyday use by all users.

[Leonick]

They'll probably keep CMD around, there are so many companies out there who just won't update software or scripts and still expect their old to work...

That said I sure hope Powershell will come installed with all versions of Windows 8.

CMD is there just for the old folks like me that were used to DOS. :/

All the same commands can be used.

You don't have to use Get-ChildItem, you can use Dir if you like as it's set up as an alias by default, heck if you're used to a unix command line you can use their commands too, in this case ls.

windows + r -> powershell

or you can set a alias for powershell for example p and type

windows + r -> p

And there you go: Its faster than cmd.

Well, the cmd prompt usually load a whole lot quicker than the powershell one.

[Angel Blue01]

Powershell really doesn't get the attention it deserves. It really can replace the old command prompt if more developers and users were willing to try it.

But they need to keep cmd for compatibility. Aren't logon scripts still .bat files, many of which won't work without modification in Powershell?

[htcz]

Yes I know that, but I won't invoke powershell just to ping an asset. And this is just ridiculous.

Why invoke cmd just to ping an asset?

And the link you posted to........is that really a reason to use cmd over Powershell? :rolleyes: come on....

CMD is simple, fast, effective and serves a purpose. Powershell is something completely different and serves a different purpose, it's not meant for everyday use by all users.

Powershell, as I have stated, includes everything CMD does and more.

CMD isnt also made for "everyday use by all users". You can do everything in Powershell that you can in CMD. I think people are missing that point...

This is the same arguement about people that stay on Windows XP and dont want to upgrade to Windows 7. The even worse part of this is that Powershell is free....

They'll probably keep CMD around, there are so many companies out there who just won't update software or scripts and still expect their old to work...

Thats why I also made a comment that if something calls cmd, Powershell can be ran in a "cmd compatibility mode" which allows it to run exactly the same as regular cmd. Powershell with backwards compatibility which wouldnt break anything :)

That said I sure hope Powershell will come installed with all versions of Windows 8.

It will :) It comes installed with Windows 7 already

All the same commands can be used.

You don't have to use Get-ChildItem, you can use Dir if you like as it's set up as an alias by default, heck if you're used to a unix command line you can use their commands too, in this case ls.

Exactly. Not only do all CMD commands work, but they have actually made aliases for most unix command lines such as bash. What more can you want?

Well, the cmd prompt usually load a whole lot quicker than the powershell one.

DOS/Windows 3.1/Windows 95/Windows 98/Windows ME (yes I said ME)/Windows 2000/Windows XP/Windows Vista/etc were all faster in a loading sense than Windows 7. Point of yours is?

[surrealvortex]

Yes I know that, but I won't invoke powershell just to ping an asset. And this is just ridiculous.

You invoke cmd to ping? I just do Windows+R and then ping from the run prompt.

[qdave]

I dont know how to use powershell so cmd.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

You invoke cmd to ping? I just do Windows+R and then ping from the run prompt.

but then you don't get to see the results as it just closes right away 0_o

[surrealvortex]

By default, it waits 1 second between each ping and it pings 4 times, right?

[htcz]

I dont know how to use powershell so cmd.

Then use it just like to use cmd :) No difference at all.

[Aethec]

It seems many people here don't understand what CMD is.

Short explanation: CMD is a console window that provides basic functionality for changing the current directory (cd), showing the files and folders (dir) and a few other things (copy, auto-completion, command history...). The most important thing it does is to enable you to open files, give arguments to executables, and provide input and output for console applications.

What you're doing by calling "robocopy C:\SomeFolder C:\SomeOtherFolder" is launching robocopy.exe using "C:\SomeFolder" and "C:\SomeOtherFolder" as parameters. "tree C:\" just calls tree.com with "C:\" as a parameter. "ping google.com" calls ping.exe with "google.com" as parameter. And so on.

These programs (not commands - check your C:\Windows\System32 folder) can be used exactly the same way in PowerShell, and their output will look exactly the same.

In fact, if Microsoft set the default background color to black in PowerShell and removed the "PS" at the beginning of each line, most people wouldn't notice the difference. You would still be able to use the programs you use now.

[Kreuger]

I want bash

[Joey S]

Bash terminal.

cmd and Powershell are like kids toys by comparison

[Taranaich]

I want bash

So install Bash. You can do that.

cmd and Powershell are like kids toys by comparison

Cmd maybe, but don't think you've actually tried PowerShell or you wouldn't be saying that. It's quite powerful. Bash is good yes,but looking over what Bash has built in, nothing really jumps out as being something that others can't do or just doesn't apply.. most of it's goodies come from external programs or scripting languages, most of which are available to other shells.

[ThePitt]

wtf is powershell?

[pupdawg21]

Powershell is NOT a replacement for CMD and ALL commands do not work in the same manner or using the same syntax in the 2 environments. Many of the most commonly used ones do however.

[n4cer]

cmd can't be removed as it would break existing scripts and applications that call cmd.

Though PowerShell has aliases for many cmd built-in commands, the cmdlets for which the aliases are mapped do not support the switches of the cmd commands (e.g., you can't do "dir /w" in PowerShell). Variable syntax is also different (e.g., %windir% in cmd vs $env:windir in PowerShell).

PowerShell is getting ever increasing usage as the underpinning for Windows administration and troubleshooting functionality. While it should see greater exposure, such as adding it to the Ribbon and the context menu ("Open PowerShell here"), cmd should not be removed to elevate PowerShell unless the use cases for cmd are covered by PowerShell. It's not like cmd is the only shell besides PowerShell that currently ships with Windows. Its presence doesn't diminish PowerShell.