Linux containers have made it reasonably easy to develop, distribute, and deploy server applications along with all the distribution dependencies that they need. For example, anyone can deploy and run a Debian-based PostgreSQL container on a Fedora Linux host. Distrobox is a project that is designed to bring the cross-distribution compatibility to the desktop and allow users to mix-and-match Linux distributions without fussing with dual-booting, virtual machines, or multiple computers. It is an ideal way to install additional software on image-based systems, such as Fedora's Atomic Desktops or Bazzite, and also provides a convenient way to move a development environment or favorite applications to a new system.
Distrobox creator Luca Di Maio was inspired by the Toolbx project (formerly Container Toolbox) for Fedora. Generally, the idea with Linux containers is to run processes in their own environment to isolate them as much as possible from the host without having to resort to virtual machines with their additional overhead. It is possible, though, to set up a container to give it privileged access to the system with little to no isolation. This is typically referred to as a privileged container. It is possible to set up privileged containers manually, but it requires the user to know a great deal about working with containers and some fairly involved setup. The original goal for Toolbx was to let users run a privileged container "toolbox" on image-based systems that could be used for system administration and troubleshooting without having to include administration utilities in the image itself.
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Gonna have to stop you here and downvote this...this is a horrible idea for a lot of reasons.
There is a reason that a "distro" is a distro. All the components fit together and make a cohesive environment. Providing privileged access to whatever the base is to operate as if it were simply some tool running will 100% break the host OS in time. It's not even a question.
The abstractions of tools in tools on top of tools is just stupid. The effort needed to manage, recognize, and log where the interactions happen is just absolutely insane.
Simplicity in operation ties into #1. New users would have no idea WTF is even going on here, would find no docs to help them if they run into trouble, or find any other users who are running the same combo of stacks-on-stacks to be able to even attempt to help them out. Advanced users would be able to just pick up a tool from one distro, and drop it another. Makes no sense in either case.
Recovery: should something bad happen, you'd have ZERO way to even attempt to fix it. Again, containerized tools would be make operative changes to the Host OS, and any tools with the Host would be useless to repair them, because they'd only be expecting to work within their own ecosystem...again, what makes a distro distinct.
Here's a simple example: I run whatever Host OS, and then I go and run another container OS that intends to operate on my Host, BUT, it's missing a GCC version that is expected. You poke around a bit, and in an attempt to solve for a missing dependency, now your host gets an incompatible GCC version installed into itself and gets borked.
No coming back from that in any simple way.
Again, who is this intended to appeal to?
Edit: Also, just reading the end, this is like Homebrew with extra steps and more stupidity.
Valid points but it actually works pretty well. Give it another go and you may be surprised
I don't think there's a single valid point in that comment
It is not about how well it works. They can certainly disagree about that.
The problem was that they clearly have no idea how it works and “warned” people about a bunch of things that will not happen.
If posted a comment about Linux and told you not to use it because it would cause your hardware to disintegrate, the issue is not my level of Linux advocacy. The problem would be that I am peddling actual falsehoods.