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The role of systems administration is changing. It's no longer building some servers that run and putting somebody else's code on it. Instead, it's working clo

The role of systems administration is changing. It's no longer building some servers that run and putting somebody else's code on it. Instead, it's working closely with the team producing code and helping build a mature deployment and management capability. It's about being a responsible expert on the bits outside of the application process. Containers help immensely here because they recognise that a product is composed of more than just an application and they have lowered the barrier of entry to making the system of parts as a whole cooperate. As part of this change there will of course be quality issues. Classically trained developers will produce poor quality container images, just as classically trained sysadmins produce poor quality apps. This initial hump will pass as new tools are introduced to assist with this and as people learn the skills they need to produce higher quality images. If you have the skills, invest your time in helping this process along rather that raging at the fact you work in an industry where change is disruptive and constant.

eropple 11y ago
> invest your time in helping this process along You may find containers to be useful in this process. With rare exceptions, I don't, and the way you write this post with the implication that containerization is an unmitigated good grinds my gears. Disruptive and constant change leads plenty often down real bad roads, and unthinking embrace of every fad that comes down the pike has led to many more disasters than conservative thought has.
- georgebarnett 11y ago
  I do find containers to be good although I'll admit I'm biased - I have several hundred thousand apps in production in containers, running in an efficient and scalable way that would not have been possible using prior technology. My experience is that using containers effectivelly requires a substantial rethink of the infrastructure and how the teams using it work. The payoff though is a step change in productivity. Over time, I believe that companies which embrace the change will deliver more quickly than those who do not. They will get products to market in a shorter timespan and generally be nicer places to work. Will that mean the death of other ways of doing infrastructure? No probably not. After all, there are still mainframes and cobol programmers out there.

eropple 11y ago

> invest your time in helping this process along You may find containers to be useful in this process. With rare exceptions, I don't, and the way you write this post with the implication that containerization is an unmitigated good grinds my gears. Disruptive and constant change leads plenty often down real bad roads, and unthinking embrace of every fad that comes down the pike has led to many more disasters than conservative thought has.

georgebarnett 11y ago
I do find containers to be good although I'll admit I'm biased - I have several hundred thousand apps in production in containers, running in an efficient and scalable way that would not have been possible using prior technology. My experience is that using containers effectivelly requires a substantial rethink of the infrastructure and how the teams using it work. The payoff though is a step change in productivity. Over time, I believe that companies which embrace the change will deliver more quickly than those who do not. They will get products to market in a shorter timespan and generally be nicer places to work. Will that mean the death of other ways of doing infrastructure? No probably not. After all, there are still mainframes and cobol programmers out there.