The evolution of development environments from the 1990s to the 2020s highlights a shift from complex local setups to cloud-based solutions, driven by the need to address issues like environment drift and manual configuration challenges. Initially, developers had to manually install and configure components like Apache and Postgres, leading to a deep understanding of system architecture but also to the notorious "it works on my machine" problem. The 2000s introduced standardized stacks like XAMPP, simplifying setup but still requiring manual dependency management. Docker revolutionized the 2010s by enabling containerization, allowing for consistent environments across machines and bridging the gap between development and operations. In the 2020s, the focus shifted to hosted environments, where services like Neon provide managed database solutions, allowing developers to work without local installations and ensuring parity with production environments. This transition has also been accompanied by the rise of cloud-based development platforms that enable real-time collaboration and eliminate the need for local infrastructure, underscoring a trend towards ephemeral and scalable development practices.