For the longest time, Linux was considered to be geared specifically for developers and computer scientists. Modern distributions are far more general purpose now -- but that doesn't mean there aren't certain distros that are also ideal platforms for developers. What makes a distribution right for developers? Although I consider app compatibility, stability, and flexibility to be essential attributes for most any Linux distribution, developers also need the right tools
The main promise is isolation: a Docker container that works on an x86_64 Linux machine will work on any x86_64 Linux machine in the same way. Want to quickly set up PostgreSQL for testing? Just run docker run --name postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres -p 5432:5432 -d --restart=unless-stopped postgres and wait a few seconds. Docker is great for deployment as well as production deployments, and it even supports Windows Server containers these days.
According to Greg Marsden of Oracle, who also sits on the OpenELA board, the tool primarily helps achieve one of OpenELA's original goals. 'Although we all strive to ensure our Enterprise Linux systems are compatible, ELValidated lets us really prove that, to ourselves, as we build the platforms, and to our users, where the compatibility matters most.'
