Docker Inc. provides an open platform for developers and sysadmins to build, ship and run distributed applications. And while there had been some confusion around Docker the project vs. Docker the engine vs. Docker the company, some of the announcements at the DockerCon event today cleared up much of that confusion. It also underscored what many in the field believe: that Docker is becoming a premier development tool.

The day one keynote itself came as a pleasant surprise. “I didn’t know what to expect. … I thought we might come in here and hear 45 minutes on digital transformation and the standard enterprise keynote,” said John Troyer (pictured), founder and co-chief executive officer of TechReckoning.

Instead of the ‘same old’ keynote address, the first message was about the growth of the ecosystem. Then it went straight to the code, in keeping with the interests of many of the developers in attendance.

Troyer recently joined Stu Miniman (@stu) and James Kobielus (@jameskobielus), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile live streaming studio, to discuss the events of day one at DockerCon17 in Austin, Texas, as well as where they think Docker will be going in the near future.

Simplicity and community will be keys to success

One of the factors that caused VMware Inc. to come to prominence was its operator experience and simplicity; it is famous for its ‘one check box’ ease of use.

“With Docker’s focus on developer usability and experience, and today’s announcement of LinuxKit, that could actually be a huge deal,” said Troyer. He also explained that Docker’s investment in Moby Project, an open-source project tool, reflects the maturation of the container ecosystem.

He went on to say that Docker has long had a huge user group program; it has a campus program and a mentorship program, as well as Docker Captains, an advocacy program that pulls from all over the ecosystem. Docker leans heavily on its community; it can be thought of as a very small company with a very large community, Troyer concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial coverage of DockerCon US 2017 Austin.

Photo: SiliconANGLE