So I am not a professional programmer, but I do like to tinker with projects and just teach myself stuff (in python and now rust). I currently just install stuff on my linux distro off of the repos or anaconda for python. I’ve never had any particular issue or anything. I was thinking about maybe moving projects into a container just so that they are more cleanly separated from my base install. I am mostly wondering about how the community uses containers and when they are most appropriate and when they are more issue than they are worth. I think it will be good for learning, but want to hear from people who do it for a living.
Simplest way in my experience is distrobox. It will automatically spin up a container (podman or docker depending on your distro) for you with a fresh OS. Go ahead and install whatever without touching your main install, spin one up for each major project and one for scratching around. Instructions only available for Arch or Ubuntu, no problem. One gotcha, make sure they have their own homes, or you’ll get junk in yours…
Never heard of it. Will add to my reading list.