| 8 Mar 2024 |
 @johannes.kirschbauer:scs.ems.host | * I understand the frustration you're experiencing, especially considering the significant effort you've invested into nrd.
However, Danielsidhion and I are currently exploring alternative options because we're trying to providing the best possible experience for our users.
This sometimes entails re-thinking our current approach. Adopting an off-the-shelf rendering framework that offers customization options could significantly enhance user-friendliness while reducing complexity and maintenance work. Daniel has a list of needed features like page search, intuitive navigation, handling cross references, md plugins, live editing etc, ultimately improving the overall user experience.
I think we might need an RFC if we really want to migrate anyways. This would also allow potential epub users to show up. | 07:54:32 |
 pennae | also don't forget that manpages exist. | 07:55:24 |
| pennae | nix regressed horrifically on its manpages, if you do the same you will do so much more damage than live editing or flashier navigation can give you | 07:56:23 |
| pennae | also consider that nixos-search exists and would do rather better with richer xref medatadata rather than stuff that mostly works in html-only-and-maybe-pdf formats? | 07:57:51 |
| pennae | the reason we didn't push for using eg pandoc to generate the docs is that pandoc (and all other frameworks we've looked at then) fails at least one of those tests, and we've already regressed on things to make even that much happen | 07:59:08 |
 @jade_:matrix.org | It seems borderline absurd to assume that there exists an off the shelf solution that actually has proper interactions with nix and consideration of anything that is not a web browser. Have you considered taking the nrd output and using it in your pipeline instead of trying to reinvent it, so we actually own the markup parser and such? | 07:59:21 |
| pennae | or, as nrd was intended, change nrd to match the needs | 07:59:47 |
| pennae | (we also find it somewhat backhanded to come up with live editing again when that was already hacked into place and not even possible before the md workflow really took off) | 08:07:44 |
| pennae | like, the root problem with our docs isn't tooling support. switching out tooling again will only bind resources that could've been used for something that actually improves that status quo? | 08:08:54 |
 infinisil | In reply to @jade_:matrix.org
It seems borderline absurd to assume that there exists an off the shelf solution that actually has proper interactions with nix and consideration of anything that is not a web browser. Have you considered taking the nrd output and using it in your pipeline instead of trying to reinvent it, so we actually own the markup parser and such? Afaik there's nothing Nix-specific about nixos-render-docs at least | 09:45:49 |
| infinisil | In reply to @pennae:matrix.eno.space
like, the root problem with our docs isn't tooling support. switching out tooling again will only bind resources that could've been used for something that actually improves that status quo? I'd say it's a problem that we use different tooling for different projects. I guess it would make sense to try and see if nixos-render-docs could be used throughout though (such as for Nix and nix.dev). | 09:48:07 |
| pennae | not nix-specific, but nixpkgs/nixos-specific very much so. like manpage export, integration with the option system, crossreferencing, even performance optimizations needed to generate such huge documents as the nixos manual | 09:48:23 |
| pennae | In reply to @infinisil:matrix.org
I'd say it's a problem that we use different tooling for different projects. I guess it would make sense to try and see if nixos-render-docs could be used throughout though (such as for Nix and nix.dev). we did have that aspiration before we burned out on it all | 09:48:54 |
| infinisil | In reply to @pennae:matrix.eno.space
not nix-specific, but nixpkgs/nixos-specific very much so. like manpage export, integration with the option system, crossreferencing, even performance optimizations needed to generate such huge documents as the nixos manual Integration with the option system sounds very interesting, can you link to that? | 09:49:15 |
| infinisil | Oh I guess options.py | 09:49:23 |
| pennae | In reply to @infinisil:matrix.org
Oh I guess options.py correct | 09:50:04 |
