| 4 Aug 2022 |
 Solène (she/her) | hi! I found this comment in the nixos installer to be disturbing: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix#L188
This commands requires flakes to be enabled :/ | 07:48:19 |
| Solène (she/her) | I've also seen users trying to use this command to find packages names of the software they wanted in their first NixOS install | 07:49:19 |
 fricklerhandwerk | Solène (she/her): what would you propose? some obvious options:
- instead direct people to search.nixos.org
- add the experimental flag
| 07:54:51 |
 Linux Hackerman | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
hi! I found this comment in the nixos installer to be disturbing: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix#L188
This commands requires flakes to be enabled :/ not only that but it doesn't actually work :| | 07:55:22 |
| Solène (she/her) | using search.nixos.org may be the good way | 07:55:38 |
| Linux Hackerman | or the classic nix-env -qaP | 07:55:52 |
| Solène (she/her) | what's sure is the current example is not good 😅 nix-env -qaP is extremely slow and requires a lot of memory, I don't think it's a good idea | 08:04:16 |
| fricklerhandwerk | Solène (she/her) Linux Hackerman What about this:
- make a NixOS Wiki page on searching packages, show all the possibilities, explain the trade-offs
- choose a recommended way of doing things, note reasons
- prepare an issue on github.com/NixOS/nix.dev for the documentation
- roll out the recommendation at the relevant points of interaction, e.g. the
configuration.nix template, nix.dev, nixos.wiki
| 08:44:48 |
| fricklerhandwerk | * Solène (she/her) Linux Hackerman What about this:
-
make a NixOS Wiki page on searching packages, show all the possibilities, explain the trade-offs
-
choose a recommended way of doing things, note reasons
- prepare an issue on github.com/NixOS/nix.dev for the documentation team to shepherd the the discussion
-
roll out the recommendation at the relevant points of interaction, e.g. the configuration.nix template, nix.dev, nixos.wiki
| 08:45:10 |
| Solène (she/her) | that seems good! | 08:46:26 |
| fricklerhandwerk | Solène (she/her): would you like to write a quick draft on the Wiki? | 08:54:01 |
| Solène (she/her) | sure | 08:54:14 |
| Solène (she/her) | this is a start for the wiki https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Searching_packages | 09:25:58 |
 hexa | I wonder whether an example for a network configuration using networkd would be appreciated in the sample configuration.nix | 10:49:59 |
| hexa | to move the sorry state that of people using the scripted networking bits | 10:50:56 |
| hexa | * to move the sorry state. that alot of people us the scripted networking bits, along | 10:51:11 |
| Solène (she/her) | actually using the nix repl isn't that bad, any other idea for a way to search a package?
In the wiki I'd prefer to avoid the "nix search" experimental command that has to be run near a flake.nix file | 12:31:37 |
 a-kenji | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
actually using the nix repl isn't that bad, any other idea for a way to search a package?
In the wiki I'd prefer to avoid the "nix search" experimental command that has to be run near a flake.nix file You don't need to run it near a flake.nix file, or? | 12:32:29 |
| Solène (she/her) | > nix search
path '/home/solene' does not contain a 'flake.nix', searching up
error: could not find a flake.nix file
| 12:32:51 |
 Minion3665 | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
actually using the nix repl isn't that bad, any other idea for a way to search a package?
In the wiki I'd prefer to avoid the "nix search" experimental command that has to be run near a flake.nix file Nix search doesn't need a flake.nix file
You can run nix search nixpkgs packagename and it'll search in the nixpkgs flake | 12:32:52 |
| Solène (she/her) | that's pretty cool, nix --extra-experimental-features "nix-command flakes" search nixpkgs firefox | 12:33:57 |
| Minion3665 | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
that's pretty cool, nix --extra-experimental-features "nix-command flakes" search nixpkgs firefox Yep
That'll work :) | 12:34:32 |
| Solène (she/her) | it's just too bad it needs to download 30MB every so often :D | 12:34:51 |
| a-kenji | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
that's pretty cool, nix --extra-experimental-features "nix-command flakes" search nixpkgs firefox You can also search exact by nixpkgs#firefox | 12:34:56 |
| Solène (she/her) | it's not really faster than nix-env -aqP | 12:35:52 |
| Solène (she/her) | "we have 5 ways to search packges and most of them are bad" :D | 12:36:03 |
| Minion3665 | In reply to @rapenne-s:tchncs.de
it's not really faster than nix-env -aqP It caches it though, so it's much faster on the next run, and it's much faster on exact matches | 12:36:18 |
| Solène (she/her) | indeed, if I re-run it's faster | 12:36:51 |
| Solène (she/her) | and pick up where I aborted | 12:36:56 |
| Solène (she/her) | now, I think https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Searching_packages is puzzling for new users, how to pick one solution over another? | 12:39:01 |
