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CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

coreos.com

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Re: CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

#11
post #8

I'm all for a new container runtime if it lets me start containers as a non-root user. Allowing non-root users to start containers would open up a whole new level of applications, particularly on multi-tenant HPC-style clusters.

This would only be possible on very new linux kernels (that provide user namespacing)

Re: CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

#14
post #9

Interesting takeaways from the post: * Despite Brandon Philips (CoreOS CTO) serving on the Docker governance board, Docker has aggressively expanded their scope well beyond their original container manifesto. * CoreOS believes the Docker runtime is now too unwieldy and "fundamentally flawed"; the unwritten word that really sprung to mind was that Docker was getting "greedy." * CoreOS reaffirms their original operatin…

> CoreOS believes the Docker runtime is now too unwieldy and "fundamentally flawed"; the unwritten word that really sprung to mind was that Docker was getting "greedy."

I wonder if that comes from the partnership with Microsoft.

Re: CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

#16
post #12

This is how Linux fragments, and ultimately dies as the Linux we know. I'm not really making a value judgement, just an observation.

That may be a little overly dramatic. There have been failed fragments/forks/derivatives, but there have also been some sweeping successes.

It's too early to foretell the fate of Rocket. Containers are getting lots of attention, so I'm actually pretty happy to look at this as a potentially rewarding experiment. Worst case, it fails and we keep using Docker (or whatever else springs up).

Re: CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

#17
I have been concerned that Docker's scope was expanding too far for a while now, so I'm glad to see an alternative that might work appear on the horizon. That said, I am somewhat concerned that CoreOS has a suspiciously similar business model to where Docker would probably like to be.

It's in a business's best interest, and exceedingly common practice, to "land and expand" with something clear and compelling, and following that add features to compete with alternative solutions. I don't think there's anything inherently altruistic about CoreOS that would keep Rocket lean in the long-run, especially as they begin migrating their various tools away from Docker containers.

Re: CoreOS is building a container runtime, Rocket

#20
post #12

This is how Linux fragments, and ultimately dies as the Linux we know. I'm not really making a value judgement, just an observation.

There were many VM engines, now there are a few. I imagine the same thing will happen with container technology. Generally 1 technology stands out, then things fragment, then things coalesce into a tiny handful of solid solutions.

Docker may or may not be the container engine that lasts a long time. There is a reason they raised a bunch of money. Clearly containers are going to be big, but is Docker the one that goes on to be dominant? Docker is trying through building features & biz dev, but it's far from over.

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