Re: Long-time Linux and Windows Admin here
I agree that PS is daunting when you start. It takes a bit of investment, but is highly intuitive once you get over the initial hump. Not sure I agree about the "length of commands" bit. You could write a whole script as a single pipeline if you want, but you certainly dont have to. As for remembering commands, the <verb>-<noun> pattern of cmdlets is highly intuitive. Want to configure networking? "help *network*" will list every command with network in the name. You dont really need to remember any cmdlet names as you can just search for them, and getting help on likely looking cmdlets with "-full" gives you detailed info on all parameters plus examples.
Where PS positively smokes Linux shell scripting is by treating everything as an object, and a pipeline to process them. Greping through pages of output to pipe text into the next component is mediaeval by comparison. Plus you can invoke pretty much anything in addition to the many cmdlets - other processes, any native or managed api, load any dll and run anything it exports, inline C#, COM components etc Plus you can do any of this as easily on a remote machine as the local machine, or thousands of remote machines at a time.
Dont agree with you on putting everything in config files either. I would much rather have it fail validation due to some error or typo than allow me to save the config and have it work/not work/partially work and have to troubleshoot later. I use and like Linux, but I dont regard that as a strength.
Final comment - this whole "I've been a Windows admin for 20 years and we have always had a GUI so we should always have a GUI" is bollocks. Times change and if you arent prepared to change with them, get left behind.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
