NixOS is the endgame of distrohopping - The Universe of Joshua Blais
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  • ruffsl@programming.devOPEnglish
    0·
    6 days ago

    What are we doing here? This isn’t even an argument.

    Correct, this isn’t an argument, or at least I’m not trying to argue.
    All I wanted to learn what exact properties you though makes for a better desktop OS.

    I’m in agreement that NixOS isn’t the best for mainstream desktop user base, but like any decent inquiry or survey, if I just preemptively bias someone’s responses with my own observations on NixOS defecenties, then there wouldn’t be as much of a case to before ask what they think other Linux Distro do better in the first place.

    Not everyone who strikes up a convo online for a debate, and not all (but quite a few) who ask questions are trolls.

      • ruffsl@programming.devOPEnglish
        0·
        6 days ago

        Well let me at least leave why I think Nix is not it at the moment:

        • Software Center - browsing search.nixos.org isn’t quite the same in terms low friction and discoverability
          • You already have to know what you’re looking for, and it can’t make system config on your behalf
          • Debian or conventional package managers usually offer a native GUI for package selection and deployment
        • System Defaults - the minimality of a basic default install can cause a lot of papercuts
          • the default boot partition is rather small given the OS’s prepecity to add new kernels with new generations
          • and without any garbage collection service enabled by default, user first encounter switch failures due to this
        • External Binaries Compatibility - Linux also suffers from this in general as compared to MacOS or Windows
          • in addition to being much more niche, reuse of existing binaries from more prevalent distros becomes complicated
          • the desktop ISO could suggest a nix-ld config with default libs most binary distributes expect, easing in new users
        • The Nix language - much more complex than conventional cong markup langs, being more of a turing complete DSL
          • partial working LSP impare introspection while writing, and the runtime error messages are poorly formatted
          • most desktop users (in debian or fedora) have little need to learn their OS’s packaging schemas, but NixOS users do
        • just_another_person@lemmy.world
          0·
          6 days ago

          You’re speaking subjectively. Thays the first problem.

          Nix was built for people like me who need a binary compatible build system to be replicable every single time, and present no false positives.

          You’re just…talking about a way you can customize it. It’s a feature of major distro, you just didn’t know. Do some research 😘