Re:Nix: An idea whose time has come
by xyzzy_plugh on Saturday February 19, 2022 @08:11AM
(#30396900)
> If that's the case, perhaps `nix-env` shouldn't be mentioned as the command to use to install packages on search.nixos.org?
Yes, you should pretend this command doesn't exist.
There is no need to be using NixOS to do so.
> Oh, and the nix package manager is still unbearably slow
This doesn't match my experience so I wonder what you're doing differently. It's only slow if you're missing the cache, either local or remote, as then you need to build things locally, unlike apk and pacman which install only prebuilt packages from repositories. Nix is fundamentally different to those package managers. I find it very snappy.
Re:Nix: An idea whose time has come
by colordrops on Saturday February 19, 2022 @08:35AM
(#30397030)
My experience is also that it is quick as long as the package is cached. And it usually is unless you are using master, which is definitely not recommended.
If that's the case, perhaps `nix-env` shouldn't be mentioned as the command to use to install packages on search.nixos.org?
I checked the NixOS manual right now but the last time I did, it instructed to use nix-env to install packages. The declarative package management using configuration.nix wasn't highlighted before as it is now.
This is exactly the kind of thing the parent comment mentioned. I'm not willing to go through these kinds of papercuts to get whatever NixOS has to offer with its radical changes.
Oh, and the nix package manager is still unbearably slow. It reminds me of my (unpleasant) time using dnf. Once you're used to package managers like apk and pacman, its an extremely jarring experience to stare at your screen and wait for a package to get installed.