Conference:  CloudOpen 2022

Authors: Ketan Gangatirkar

2022-06-23

Cloud products have generated remarkable value over the last two decades. Ironically much of this value doesn’t benefit the software engineers while they code those products. We’re still tediously constructing our workspaces by hand, just like we did in 1994.That is finally changing – software engineering is entering the cloud era. The key is remote workspaces that use consistent images so your code truly runs on everyone’s machine. You can check out, edit, compile, test, run, debug, and do almost everything else you can do on a local machine except trip over the power cord. Remote workspaces can provide superb performance no matter what device is in your hand, on your lap, or under your desk.These platforms are now possible because of an ecosystem rich with open source components like Docker, VS Code Remote, and Infrastructure-as-Code. There’s now a remote workspace option for almost everyone, whether working for someone else, on an open source project, or for yourself. These products are already capable enough for many, but some obstacles remain before adoption by most software engineers.The good news is that all those obstacles will be overcome – the problems are well understood, so it’s just a matter of time. Join Ketan Gangatirkar, VP of Engineering and Product for Coder, tolearn the current state of the art, what obstacles stand in the way of mainstream adoption, and why your future workstation will be in the cloud. You may not be using a cloud workspace today, but in just a few more years you won’t consider using anything else.