In reply to @fractivore:cyberia.club
I burnt out quickly on the diagramming thing, but I would still like to help with documentation as I have energy. Are the doc team meetings open to everyone?

In reply to @technicus:matrix.org
Hey there, while attending a tech_meetup, during a discussion about operating systems . . . I mentioned that I recently installed NixOS and am getting to like it . . . as a result I was talked into giving a presentation about NixOS at the next meetup.

I agreed to do a guided installation demo where participants would install and setup Nix on their machines.

It looks like I am going to become a tutor . . . and in that roll I figure it would be wise for me to sift through all the documentation I can find.

Obsidian seems like a useful tool to journal and make notes with, which is been helpful to get organized to try an teach a subject I know little about.

Any advice?

I'd just say, you don't need to be an expert on the whole OS to explain what you like about it and walk people through the install! In other words, don't try to scope your tutorial too broadly. That breadth of knowledge will come in time, and only with time, so I suggest focusing on the desktop installation and first steps. You can only cover a little bit in a single talk and have the knowledge still be absorbable.

Declarative system management is a new idea for a lot of people, so I suggest talking a little about how installing stuff with a config file differs from how it's done on more "traditional" distros, or windows or whatever. Demo the process of searching for a package on search.nixos.org (like https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=unstable&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=discord) and installing the program via configuration.nix.

For stuff related to the basic installation, this wiki page might be a good place to start: https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/NixOS_as_a_desktop

In reply to @technicus:matrix.org
Hey there, while attending a tech_meetup, during a discussion about operating systems . . . I mentioned that I recently installed NixOS and am getting to like it . . . as a result I was talked into giving a presentation about NixOS at the next meetup.

I agreed to do a guided installation demo where participants would install and setup Nix on their machines.

It looks like I am going to become a tutor . . . and in that roll I figure it would be wise for me to sift through all the documentation I can find.

Obsidian seems like a useful tool to journal and make notes with, which is been helpful to get organized to try an teach a subject I know little about.

Any advice?

I'd just say, you don't need to be an expert on the whole OS to explain what you like about it and walk people through the install! In other words, don't try to scope your tutorial too broadly. That breadth of knowledge will come in time, and only with time, so I suggest focusing on the desktop installation and first steps. You can only cover a little bit in a single talk and have the knowledge still be absorbable. Also, practice will help a lot if you want to be more confident when presenting.

Declarative system management is a new idea for a lot of people, so I suggest talking a little about how installing stuff with a config file differs from how it's done on more "traditional" distros, or windows or whatever. Demo the process of searching for a package on search.nixos.org (like https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=unstable&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=discord) and installing the program via configuration.nix. After doing the installation, demoing configuration.nix and answering some questions, you'll have given as much information as people can handle. Just a suggestion, of course.

For stuff related to the basic installation, this wiki page might be a good place to start: https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/NixOS_as_a_desktop

In reply to @fractivore:cyberia.club
Bottom line: covering only a small amount of material is a good idea for this sort of context.

Thanks for the advice!

We have two hours, I figure setting up the demo and guiding people through the install could go on for about an hour (pending technical challenges).

Then we could chat and I could respond with questions.

After, maybe do some one on one assistance.

It is a small group, between five and ten people, and most all have relatable experience with GNU/Libre/Linux software.

In reply to @technicus:matrix.org
A couple of friends of mine asked me if I could tutor their kids.

I am going to try crafting a progressive lesson series.

Maybe once or twice a month, meet with them and help with what they want to know or might have difficulty with, and when they are ready or as needed develop new lessons and tutorials to help them out.

So I figure to avoid being stumped when they ask me questions, I should get to know all that I can for myself.

In reply to @technicus:matrix.org
The one question that was asked which inspired me to start studying was about the pillars of Reproduciblity, Declarativity and Immutability.

I was a little stumped when trying to explain the concepts, and the next time I get asked . . . it would be great if I could reply with definitive concise explanations and provide examples.

In reply to @fractivore:cyberia.club
Like, about the definitions of those terms?

In reply to @technicus:matrix.org
Yes, specifically immutability. I said that I am still new to Nix and only have a vague idea, but I would look into it more and at our next gathering include an explanation in my presentation.