This is one of the reasons for Docker containers to be so popular. They are basically statically linked apps, carrying everything they need within themselves.
But - I like that. Not having to worry about some library version because I know the obe that is supplied is the same one the developer put there. Nice.
Re:Why PS4 downloads are so slow
by kiallmacinnes on Sunday August 20, 2017 @06:04AM
(#15057758)
I believe this is a myth! You still very much have to care - for security updates.
However, more often than not, you've just lost visibility into what libraries and versions you're actually running..
Re:Why PS4 downloads are so slow
by peterwwillis on Sunday August 20, 2017 @09:15AM
(#15058278)
Yep. The production box no longer needs to have the exact same library packages installed as the dev box, but now it needs the same docker images installed. It's just moving the goal posts - with respect to "dependency problems".
The actual benefit to containers is abstracted and unified software components in a complex system. But as we create new, different cloud computing tech, this becomes more difficult, and defeats the purpose somewhat.
Sure, but that should be part of updates. Even if developer doesn't take care of it, you can rebuild the image to update libraries. Of course app might stop working, but at least other apps/containers still work and you can revert the change easily.
Re:Why PS4 downloads are so slow
by thanksgiving on Saturday August 19, 2017 @10:25PM
(#15056704)
I don't know. I like static linking. I'd rather I like things that just work ™. I mean look at PHP for Windows. I can't run php --version because I don't have visual C++ installed. Why? Wouldn't it be easier to include everything you need with your binaries? How much extra stuff are we talking?
To me, RAM and processor are much scarcer resources.
Re:Why PS4 downloads are so slow
by colejohnson66 on Monday August 21, 2017 @01:43AM
(#15062218)
To me, that just speaks about Microsoft’s failure to make the C++ redistributible API compatible across versions. If it was, they could just bundle them with the OS.
As time goes by, minimum hardware requirements for operating systems increase. This isn't because it is more difficult to write software, or the hardware stopped being capable of doing the same thing it used to do. It's because software design wastes more resources as those resources become increasingly available.
Today, people ship statically compiled binaries of tens to hundreds of megabytes in size because it is convenient to do so. That would have been absolutely insane before increased bandwidth and storage space made it practical. I have an internet connection so fast my wifi card can't use all the bandwidth.
What a time to be alive.