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> Yes, but this is true generally; it's not specific to containers. Always using containers make it harder for you to tell when you're making your setup brittl

> Yes, but this is true generally; it's not specific to containers. Always using containers make it harder for you to tell when you're making your setup brittle. If your environment always is exactly the same, how will you notice when you introduce dependencies on particular quirks with that environment? If your developers use different operating systems, different compilers, etc., you have a better shot at noticing undesirable coupling between the system and its environment.

OJFord 6y ago
But why do you care? This seems true bit backwards to me. Using a container with the same image as everyone else lets you all use the same environment, while each using whatever environment you want. If you run on Linux right now but think you might one day switch to running natively on Windows server... Ok sure, but who's in that position?
- wahern 6y ago
  The most obvious and critical reason is because of security. You don't want your app to be stuck on Ubuntu 12.04 forever, but that's exactly what can happen. If you're not incrementally updating and fixing your stuff, you end up facing 5+ years of accumulated problems, at which point many people will take door #2: keep using the broken environment until somebody forces you not to; or door #3: start from scratch. The upgrade treadmill is exactly that, a treadmill--it's exercise. The alternative to not exercising is poor health and an early death.
  - bluntfang 6y ago
    but then theres the guy who only eats bacon, smokes 2 packs a day, never exercises, and lives to see 105.
- mailslot 6y ago
  Opposite side of this. Back in the day there was this company called Silicon Graphics (SGI). They had this API called GL, it’s what you know as OpenGL. Software was written for their workstations that ran their UNIX OS IRIX. This is where Maya and many other awesome programs were built. Maya now runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, etc. Cross platform code is fantastic.
  - OJFord 6y ago
    Is anybody writing user programs that might otherwise be cross-platform and shipping them as an image with a docker dependency?
    - nemetroid 6y ago
      Yes, our main application is mostly used as a cloud service deployed in Kubernetes, but also has deployments running natively on Windows.

OJFord 6y ago

But why do you care? This seems true bit backwards to me. Using a container with the same image as everyone else lets you all use the same environment, while each using whatever environment you want. If you run on Linux right now but think you might one day switch to running natively on Windows server... Ok sure, but who's in that position?

wahern 6y ago
The most obvious and critical reason is because of security. You don't want your app to be stuck on Ubuntu 12.04 forever, but that's exactly what can happen. If you're not incrementally updating and fixing your stuff, you end up facing 5+ years of accumulated problems, at which point many people will take door #2: keep using the broken environment until somebody forces you not to; or door #3: start from scratch. The upgrade treadmill is exactly that, a treadmill--it's exercise. The alternative to not exercising is poor health and an early death.
- bluntfang 6y ago
  but then theres the guy who only eats bacon, smokes 2 packs a day, never exercises, and lives to see 105.
mailslot 6y ago
Opposite side of this. Back in the day there was this company called Silicon Graphics (SGI). They had this API called GL, it’s what you know as OpenGL. Software was written for their workstations that ran their UNIX OS IRIX. This is where Maya and many other awesome programs were built. Maya now runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, etc. Cross platform code is fantastic.
- OJFord 6y ago
  Is anybody writing user programs that might otherwise be cross-platform and shipping them as an image with a docker dependency?
  - nemetroid 6y ago
    Yes, our main application is mostly used as a cloud service deployed in Kubernetes, but also has deployments running natively on Windows.