Kirk Munro started his professional career in 1997 as a developer at FastLane Technologies Incorporated, where he worked on an advanced scripting language called FINAL (FastLane Integrated Network Application Language). 10 years later while working at Quest Software he returned to his scripting language roots and became a Poshoholic when he started working with PowerShell and PowerShell-based applications like PowerGUI. Today he is a member of the PowerGUI team and spends all of his professional time using PowerShell and helping others use PowerShell through newsgroups, online forums, events, and his Poshoholic blog.
Kirk is also an ecoholic and a father of two children. His children participate in home-based learning with his wife instead of traditional school. He tries to practice natural, holistic living outside of the office as much as possible. When traveling, natural food stores are one the first places he will visit. He’s still waiting for companies to start giving out organic cotton t-shirts at trade shows and conferences.
1. What does being an MVP mean to you?
For me, being an MVP means having even more support, opportunities and resources available to continue doing what I love to do: helping others in the community through online support and through face-to-face interaction.
- If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be?
When is Microsoft going to show the true compassion, innovation and leadership over environmental issues in the software industry that the world needs?
- What do you think the best software ever written was?
I had a few things immediately jump in my head when I read this question. PowerShell, hands down, is the best professional software I use. It really is the best thing since sliced bread. The other things that jumped into my head are games from my childhood. The first release of King’s Quest I, where you actually had to think of the commands you wanted to type instead of just moving a mouse pointer around and clicking; and Ultima III: Exodus, for its ability to take me on a fantastic adventure without painting the graphics so detailed that I couldn’t use my imagination to picture it myself. These fit into my definition of best because they were a great part of the inspiration behind my pursuing a career working with computers in the first place. I still play them from time to time.
- If you were the manager of Admin Frameworks/PowerShell, what would you change?
I’d add support for namespaces and drop the recommendation for third-party snapins to use silly prefixes that obscure their names.
- What are the best features/improvements of Admin Frameworks/PowerShell?
Its self-discoverability, flexibility, capability, and versatility. It takes quite a while after you start using PowerShell before you discover any limitations that can’t be worked around.
- What was the last book you read?
“La colère de Mulgarath” (Book 5 in the Spiderwick Chronicles series, “The Wrath of Mulgarath”, translated into French). I read to my kids pretty much every night before they go to sleep, and we just finished reading the entire series.
- What music CD do you recommend?
Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing. Not deep or meaningful at all, but I enjoy it.
- What makes you a great MVP?
Who said I was great? (Thanks to that person!) I’m just a guy who is passionate about what he does who loves to help other people. I’ve been helping friends, family, neighbours and co-workers with computer problems since we got our first computer (a TRS-80) many years ago. I also help people in a grocery store, in a library, or at the market if the opportunity presents itself. Giving time to help others and seeing and feeling the happiness that results is a wonderful experience. If that makes me a great MVP, well then, great!
- What is in your computer bag?
My laptop (obviously), “Presenting to Win” by Jerry Weissman, my new Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 webcam so that I can see my kids when I’m travelling and show them a little bit of where I am, a 150GB pocket drive, a USB drive or two, a retractable RJ-45 cable and a soft DVD case (currently holding “The Transformers”), and a small bottle of hand sanitizer.
- What is the best thing that has happened since you have become an MVP?
Being recorded on .NET Rocks!, dnrTV and RunAs Radio, and having all three shows posted in the same week! Carl, Richard and Greg do a great job of those shows, and it was truly an honor to be invited to talk about PowerShell and PowerGUI on them.
- What is your motto?
Do better, in everything that you do.
- Who is your hero?
There are too many people doing many great things to have one hero. My hero these days is anyone who challenges the conventional way of thinking about things and uses their passion to influence positive changes in life in a way that is beneficial for people and for the planet. My kids and my wife do that, and that makes them my heroes. David Suzuki, Dr. Jane Goodall, John Taylor Gatto, Al Gore and Woody Harrelson are all heroes that come to mind. There are lots more, but these are a few examples.
- What does success mean to you?
Success means being proud of who you are, enjoying what you do, doing it well, and being able to do all of that without regret or remorse.
