> Sure, we're all just talking about our personal experiences. I just haven't run into the problems you describe. I use virtual environments to keep my system installation clean, and PostgreSQL / Nginx are so stable that the version I happen to have on my dev machine usually works with all my projects dating back to 2014 (but kept up-to-date).

One of the most important thing docker provides is an abstraction between the application and the OS. If you don't need the abstraction, then it's only going to look like cost.

On the other hand, being able to write an some code in python 3.9 and deploy it anywhere across a heterogeneous production environment without fighting with the OS about how many versions of python it has installed is a useful thing.

To who? Certainly not the vast majority of developers.

And if you're using Java/Node/C#/etc? Where all dependencies are included in the compiled output?

I use mostly java, and still prefer java so I can control the jvm parameters and version (compared to managed aws for instance).

Do you by any chance often have cause to compile and use tools or libraries written by academics? Or regularly use projects that aren’t as big and well-developed as Postgres and Nginx?

No. But I can see how Docker would be useful in such cases.

I find it really useful for development. For example when I configure nginx + a service, if it works in my local env, I have to run one command and I'll have the same in prod, and I don't have to debug in the server. Also is useful to keep track of the OS dependencies.

But it ends up being a matter of preference, I could still do it without it, but I'm used to it now, for some reason I feel that it makes my systems more "reproducible" in a simpler way.

It sounds like you have a small or even solo team. That could play a big role.