Not-OS – NixOS-based OS generator that outputs an OS with 47MB squashfs (2022)

Re:Not-OS – NixOS-based OS generator that outputs an OS with... by rgoulter on Monday February 06, 2023 @09:59PM (#34688119)

I think it's fair to argue "the costs/drawbacks of using NixOS as a desktop outweigh the benefits".

But, I think that discounts the value of enthusiastic tinkering, and learning a complicated technology.

Nix is unusual and relatively difficult. This makes it difficult to recommend in many settings. But, if you're interested in learning it, spending time to try it out as a personal desktop (where there aren't external deadlines or requirements of reliability) is a decent way to explore it.

It's similar to how vim or emacs have a steeper learning curve than vscode. It takes more effort, but you get a power-user experience out of it.

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Re:Not-OS – NixOS-based OS generator that outputs an OS with... by pxc on Tuesday February 07, 2023 @12:27AM (#34689102)

> Nix is unusual and relatively difficult. This makes it difficult to recommend in many settings. But, if you're interested in learning it, spending time to try it out as a personal desktop (where there aren't external deadlines or requirements of reliability) is a decent way to explore it.

I was originally interested in Nix and NixOS on servers, and started running it on my main desktop at work in order to force myself to really learn it, as a way of jumping in with both feet.

I think it worked well, and I ended up really enjoying it.

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