NixOS’ influence and importance at pushing Linux forward into the (previously) unexplored landscape of configuring your complete system through a single config file is undeniable. It’s been a wild ride, but it was well worth it.

And although it has only been relatively recently that it has lost its niche status, the recent influx of so-called ‘immutable’ distros springing up like mushrooms is undeniably linked to and inspired by NixOS.

However, unfortunately, while this should have been very exciting times for what’s yet to come, the recent drama surrounding the project has definitely tarnished how the project is perceived.

NixOS’ ideas will definitely live on regardless. But how do you envision NixOS’ own future? Any ETA’s for when this drama will end? Which lessons have we learned (so far) from this drama? Are there any winners as a result of this drama? Could something like this happen to any distro?

In case you’re out of the loop. Though, there’s a lot that has transpired since but which hasn’t been rigorously documented at a single place; like how 4 out of 5 NixOS board members have quit over the last 2 months or so.

  • @bsergayOP
    1•2 months ago

    Apologies if I made you feel that way! And thank you for vocalizing your concerns!

    It has never been my intent to troll you. Nor have I got any other evil motives.

    I noticed how you’ve been one of the more vocal community members to oppose ‘immutable distros’. And I, as a major supporter of ‘immutable’ distros, am very interested to know why that is. That’s basically the whole idea of this conversation. At least on my part*. And, to be honest, I think we’re almost done. There was only one paragraph from your earlier comment that I didn’t get. And all the questions I posed are from that paragraph.

    So, to make it simpler, I first want to clarify the following statement of my own:

    Similarly, ‘immutable’ distros are not to blame if a new user breaks their not newbie-friendly ‘immutable’ distro.

    With this, I don’t mean that ‘immutable’ distros are (by definition) not newbie-friendly. That would be the complete opposite of what I’ve been saying this whole time :P . Instead, I posed that ‘immutable’ distros can be categorized in:

    • those that are newbie-friendly
    • and those that are not newbie-friendly

    And, thus, my statement should be understood as: “The mishaps/inconveniences etc of not newbie-friendly distros, does not invalidate the existence of other ‘immutable’ distros that actually happen to be newbie-friendly. Hence, we shouldn’t throw out all ‘immutable’ distros with the babywater; this idiom is referenced.”

    Finally, if you didn’t misunderstand my statement in the first place, then I would like you to explain/elaborate what you had written here:

    But we’re talking about situation when user-friendly distros become immutable. If the user willingly chooses an advanced distro, it’s not the distro’s fault but, for example, you said that Fedora expects their immutable options to become mainstream. I know that Fedora and other immutable distros are often recommended for new users now. This means that the ones that recommend them consider them user-friendly. Imo this, as well as rumors about Canonical want to make Ubuntu Core the default desktop offering, destroys your point in the context of this discussion.

    That’s all. Thank you in advance!