Scripting Sysadmin meme

rolf@powershell-ag.de — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:36:31 GMT

# In general posting in German but this time exceptionally in English

In response to Steve's Scripting/Sysadmin Meme and Shay's call out

How old were you when you started programming?

I was 26 when I started to write DOS batches and DBASE stuff.

What was your first machine?

My first real computer was a 386SX.. long time ago.

What was the first real script you wrote?

A DOS-based ANSI Menu for a small company.

What scripting languages have you used?

DOS-Batch, JavaScript/DHTML, VBScript and a little KIX
PowerShell was the most impressive one to learn.

What was your first professional sysadmin gig?

I started as freelancer and supported MS and Compaq on an ASE event back in the early 90th.
The next major step was becoming an MCT and teaching more than 1000 students.

If you knew then what you know now, would you have started in IT?

100% yes. It is challenging on a daily basis and is never boring.

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new sysadmins, what would it be?

Never stop learning and combine the knowledge about your systems with the power of your preferred scripting language ;-) guess which i have in mind...

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had scripting?

Using (vbs-based) merlin during a classroom setup to explain what was happening on the students computer.

Who am I calling out?

Richard Siddaway, Desmond Lee and Dmitry Sotnikov

PowerShell Anwendergruppe

Scripting Sysadmin meme