Command prompt, “command prompt”, “MS-DOS mode” — over time we've known the cmd.exe tool by these different names, and it's one of the last vestiges of the era when we used operating systems without graphical interfaces. Now, there's no doubt that Microsoft has decided to present Windows 10 as an agent of change, and its latest move under the Insider program is the replacement of cmd.exe, whose place will be taken by PowerShell.
The command prompt is very important for those of us who have spent years in front of a computer. As a low-level environment compatible with MS-DOS commands, there are times when it's easier to fix a problem that way than to fight with multiple parameters in the graphical interface, or make strange registry edits. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that most users are terrified of the command prompt. It's not hard to understand why: intimidating, not very elegant, not at all intuitive... yes, it's an advanced tool that requires prior knowledge. But Microsoft has always worked on an alternative that we can consider more advanced from a certain point of view: PowerShell.
PowerShell Steps In
On November 14, PowerShell turned ten years old, and in Redmond they decided it's a good time for it to replace the command prompt. The change happened under the Insider program, in Windows 10 preview 14971. The two main announcements in this version are native EPUB support in Microsoft Edge, so now you can read unprotected EPUB books as if they were PDF files, and the inclusion of Paint 3D, which we looked at more closely in October. The new role of PowerShell appears in third place, replacing the command prompt in the “Win+X” menu, in the File section of File Explorer, and in the context menu that appears inside it when you “Shift+right-click”.
Disabling the Replacement
Users who prefer traditional behavior can go to the “Taskbar” section under “Personalization” and disable the replacement. This change may be minor for the average user, but those of us who grew up with DOS have divided opinions. Does the command prompt need to be replaced? Personally, I think not, although it would be much more worrying if Microsoft decided to remove it entirely. As long as it remains available in the background, I suppose there won't be any problems.
