[curryst]

> What I don't get is why docker isn't the ideal solution for both groups.

For some things, Docker is a great solution for both groups, but that requires that your organization and application meet a list of requirements. Is the application only going to be run by you, as a server? If it's going to be run elsewhere, you may not have the option to require it run on Docker or if it's going to be run as a client then you definitely don't have the option.

The conflicting goals come from the System Engineers goal of making it run on all platforms vs the System Administrators goal of making it run on this platform. System Engineers want a solution that makes it easier to abstract away the platform, System Administrators want a solution to make it easier to install on this platform. OS packages are easier as a System Administrator because it all ties into a central source of authority. Each package knows which other packages are installed on the system and which packages it needs. Fragmenting the environment makes it more difficult because you've got distinct sources of authority. Pip package A needs version 1.2 of OS package B, but pip package C needed for pip package D needs version 1.3 of OS package B. All of which you'd have no idea about until it all crashes and burns and you have to go figure out why.

OS packages are usually better in terms of installation, but pip packages are easier to create. Ubuntu's new packaging system is meant to address this, though we'll see how it goes.