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Ok, maybe I'm super wrong here, if so just indicate it (kindly ;-) it seems to be hot in these threads ;-) ). Here it is: It seems to me the root cause has no

Ok, maybe I'm super wrong here, if so just indicate it (kindly ;-) it seems to be hot in these threads ;-) ). Here it is: It seems to me the root cause has nothing to do with openness and FLOSS and licensing: It seems to me it has to do with NixOS has a technology architectural choice of "fixing" dependencies in a way that's more costly (fox NixOS package maintainers) to maintain to the latest version of each package, that the dependency package author doesn't like that because NixOS therefore keeps older packages, and therefore will create problem down the line. Am I wrong? PS: I usually take the analogy with noisy neighbours and the architect. Some neighbours end up in fight because of noises in another neighbour's flat. In the end, nobody goes to the architect and building company complaining that the walls are too thin. Yet they fight on the downstream problems. Good thing: In software we can fix things more easily than in hardware ;-) Here it seems it's a fight on a downstream fight on a tech architecture choice.

kosinus 5y ago
Yes, Nix is a little more strict in this regard, when seen as a package manager. But regardless, the author also mentioned he took issue with Fedora packaging, so is more interested in limiting distribution channels in general.
soraminazuki 5y ago
From the looks of it, the upstream author was against downstream packaging of any sort. It's not any particular problem that caused him to attempt to prevent NixOS users from using his software. But anyways, existing packages tend to be easier to maintain on NixOS because of rich tooling around the Nix ecosystem. Most importantly, they have automated workflows for checking and updating upstream sources[1], and it can be merged without problems most of the time. There's also lots of effort around preventing regressions too, and packages are tested as part of the automated workflow. It's also easy to check out the changes yourself, because you can just "git pull" and test the changes locally without interfering with your existing installation, a feature unique to Nix. The upstream author's claim that NixOS was not bothering to update his packages are simply not true. That was just him being incendiary and disrespectful[2]. NixOS was using the exact version required by the latest version of Home Assistant. And he very well should've known that because he happens to be a major Home Assistant contributor. If anything, data shows[3] that NixOS is one of the most up-to-date distros out there. [1]: https://github.com/r-ryantm https://github.com/r-ryantm [2]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/126326 https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/126326 [3]: https://repology.org/repositories/graphs https://repology.org/repositories/graphs

kosinus 5y ago

Yes, Nix is a little more strict in this regard, when seen as a package manager. But regardless, the author also mentioned he took issue with Fedora packaging, so is more interested in limiting distribution channels in general.

soraminazuki 5y ago

From the looks of it, the upstream author was against downstream packaging of any sort. It's not any particular problem that caused him to attempt to prevent NixOS users from using his software. But anyways, existing packages tend to be easier to maintain on NixOS because of rich tooling around the Nix ecosystem. Most importantly, they have automated workflows for checking and updating upstream sources[1], and it can be merged without problems most of the time. There's also lots of effort around preventing regressions too, and packages are tested as part of the automated workflow. It's also easy to check out the changes yourself, because you can just "git pull" and test the changes locally without interfering with your existing installation, a feature unique to Nix. The upstream author's claim that NixOS was not bothering to update his packages are simply not true. That was just him being incendiary and disrespectful[2]. NixOS was using the exact version required by the latest version of Home Assistant. And he very well should've known that because he happens to be a major Home Assistant contributor. If anything, data shows[3] that NixOS is one of the most up-to-date distros out there. [1]: https://github.com/r-ryantm https://github.com/r-ryantm [2]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/126326 https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/126326 [3]: https://repology.org/repositories/graphs https://repology.org/repositories/graphs