What's new with PowerShell Universal - Adam Driscoll

In this episode, the main topic revolves around the significant updates and the future direction of PowerShell Universal following its acquisition by Devolutions. We start by discussing the integration of PowerShell Universal into Devolutions' portfolio, highlighting the synergy between their existing products, such as Remote Desktop Manager and password management tools, and the capabilities of PowerShell Universal. The emphasis is placed on how this acquisition enhances PowerShell Universal with expanded resources and expertise, allowing for continued development and innovation.

I elaborate on how Devolutions' experience with PowerShell and .NET complements our journey in enhancing PowerShell Universal. Their expertise in PowerShell remoting protocols opens exciting avenues for improving the execution experiences within PowerShell Universal. I share insights into our collaborative efforts to leverage the existing technologies and products within Devolutions to boost PowerShell Universal's feature set, specifically in executing scripts across local and remote machines.

We dive deeper into the open-source philosophy that both PowerShell Universal and Devolutions share. The community-driven contributions have always been a cornerstone of PowerShell Universal, making the acquisition a promising opportunity to rekindle my own focus on open-source projects. We explore various open-source initiatives that Devolutions is involved in, from contributions to the Avalonia UI framework to developing tools that enhance remote desktop experiences. This alignment highlights our mutual commitment to fostering community engagement and innovation.

Listeners will learn about our commitment to maintaining the existing features and licensing models of PowerShell Universal. Ensuring business continuity for existing users remains a top priority as we transition into this new phase of operation under Devolutions. I clarify the concerns surrounding the licensing model changes, reassuring users that the current server-based licensing will remain in place and that a free version of PowerShell Universal will still be available. We aim to address customer feedback and ensure a smooth transition without disrupting the user experience.

The episode also includes an overview of exciting new features in PowerShell Universal, including the introduction of the command-line tool `psu.exe`, which streamlines administrative tasks related to database management and user administration. Additionally, I discuss recent advancements in version 5.6, which focuses on stability and quality-of-life improvements, alongside enhancements to the user interface and the integration testing suite that strengthens our reliability.

Demos play a significant part in this episode as I showcase real-time improvements, recent updates, and capabilities within PowerShell Universal. From updates on new command features and the introduction of AI agent support to leveraging C# for endpoint creation, I provide a thorough look at how these advancements can empower users and promote a more seamless PowerShell experience.

We delve into the introduction of user permissions capabilities, offering a granular approach to sharing scripts among users based on roles and tags. This development simplifies management for organizations with multiple users, ensuring that permissions can be tailored to suit individual user needs effectively.

Lastly, I share insights into the exciting road ahead. With the combination of Devolutions' resources and our ongoing development efforts, there’s a lot to look forward to. From UI improvements to the exploration of AI integrations, we are on the cusp of delivering even more powerful tools to our users. This exciting chapter not only promises to enhance the functional aspects of PowerShell Universal but also strengthens our community ties by prioritizing transparency and user engagement.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Whats new with PowerShell Universal Adam Driscoll
00:00:19 Introduction to PowerShell Universal
00:01:21 Devolutions Acquisition Announcement
00:03:36 PowerShell Remoting Protocol Expertise
00:04:41 Open Source Contributions and Community
00:08:38 Business Continuity and Licensing Updates
00:10:39 Development and Support Plans
00:13:38 Recent PowerShell Universal Releases
00:17:30 Demonstrating New Features
00:24:38 Using Modules in PowerShell Universal
00:27:08 AI Agent Support Exploration
00:45:54 Showcasing AI Integration with PowerShell
00:49:36 Audience Q&A Session
00:52:01 User Permissions and Script Assignments
00:53:40 Enhancements in Permissions System
00:59:46 Organizing Scripts with Tags
01:01:40 C# API Endpoints Introduction
01:08:06 PSU.exe Command Line Tool Overview
01:13:03 UI Enhancements and Customization
01:13:52 C# Endpoint Compilation Details
01:14:43 Automated Lab Dashboard Demonstration