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It's unfortunate that this is the top comment, as it might unfairly turn potential users off to Nix. Imperative command line installation of packages with nix i

It's unfortunate that this is the top comment, as it might unfairly turn potential users off to Nix. Imperative command line installation of packages with nix is contrary the model of how it is supposed to work, and is deprecated. I've never used it once.

GlennS 5y ago
Is that documented anywhere? I've been using Nix for about 6 years now, and have mostly been using `nix-env -iA`, `nix-env -qaP --description` and `nix-env -e` the whole time.
- colordrops 5y ago
  I'm much newer user and admittedly the documentation is not great, so I've used forums and IRC a lot and from what I've gathered, the movement is towards declarative reproduceability. This is the reason for the development of flakes. I saw installation of packages using nix-env in many search results and tutorial pages but newer comments seem to indicate that this is no longer recommended, and it fully makes sense to me. I want to get my machine back to the same state using my config checked into git, and installing imperatively using nix-env clearly goes against this.
- rgoulter 5y ago
  > I've been using Nix for about 6 years now, and have mostly been using `nix-env -iA`, `nix-env -qaP --description` and `nix-env -e` the whole time. I'd suggest "declarative package management" as a level-up above this. https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-declarative-package-management https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-declarative-pac...
  - GlennS 5y ago
    Thanks very much!
PoignardAzur 5y ago
The thing is, it might be contrary to the underlying model of the OS, but it's how a lot of people want to do it. To give a similar example: in the Rust programming language, dependencies are declared in a TOML file. While the dependencies are declarative, there's also a popular tool (that's being added to the main project) that lets you do cargo add awesome-thing-rs and add the dependency to your project, and edits the config file for you. That's it: no combinations to remember, no weird use cases, no unintuitive error messages, you just say "I want to add X" and then X is added. I don't see why Nix couldn't do the same.
- colordrops 5y ago
  Is it really that hard to add a word to a list in a config file? If this is what is stopping you, then you haven't yet understood how nix works or the value of nix. You could write a shell script in 5 minutes that would add and remove package names from a nix config file, but that's fundamentally no different from writing a tool to add #define lines in a C header file rather than just manually editing it. It's missing the point.
  - sontek 5y ago
    For me it is a context switching issue. If I'm reaching for a package it is because I was in the middle of something that needed it. I'm not sitting there thinking "What packages might I need some day?". So if nix could allow me to get the tools I need without context switching that would be a great addition. I don't want to have to go edit configuration files just because I haven't installed some tool yet.
    - fesc 5y ago
      Yeah, the you would just do a quick `nix-shell -p <package>` and of you go. Much quicker than a `brew install` for me.
      - sontek 5y ago
        But I don't want it temporarily, I want it all the time. So I want to be able to make it available for future me too, that way next time I try to use it I don't have to run `nix-shell -p <package>` again

GlennS 5y ago

Is that documented anywhere? I've been using Nix for about 6 years now, and have mostly been using `nix-env -iA`, `nix-env -qaP --description` and `nix-env -e` the whole time.

colordrops 5y ago
I'm much newer user and admittedly the documentation is not great, so I've used forums and IRC a lot and from what I've gathered, the movement is towards declarative reproduceability. This is the reason for the development of flakes. I saw installation of packages using nix-env in many search results and tutorial pages but newer comments seem to indicate that this is no longer recommended, and it fully makes sense to me. I want to get my machine back to the same state using my config checked into git, and installing imperatively using nix-env clearly goes against this.
rgoulter 5y ago
> I've been using Nix for about 6 years now, and have mostly been using `nix-env -iA`, `nix-env -qaP --description` and `nix-env -e` the whole time. I'd suggest "declarative package management" as a level-up above this. https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-declarative-package-management https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-declarative-pac...
- GlennS 5y ago
  Thanks very much!

PoignardAzur 5y ago

The thing is, it might be contrary to the underlying model of the OS, but it's how a lot of people want to do it. To give a similar example: in the Rust programming language, dependencies are declared in a TOML file. While the dependencies are declarative, there's also a popular tool (that's being added to the main project) that lets you do cargo add awesome-thing-rs and add the dependency to your project, and edits the config file for you. That's it: no combinations to remember, no weird use cases, no unintuitive error messages, you just say "I want to add X" and then X is added. I don't see why Nix couldn't do the same.

colordrops 5y ago
Is it really that hard to add a word to a list in a config file? If this is what is stopping you, then you haven't yet understood how nix works or the value of nix. You could write a shell script in 5 minutes that would add and remove package names from a nix config file, but that's fundamentally no different from writing a tool to add #define lines in a C header file rather than just manually editing it. It's missing the point.
- sontek 5y ago
  For me it is a context switching issue. If I'm reaching for a package it is because I was in the middle of something that needed it. I'm not sitting there thinking "What packages might I need some day?". So if nix could allow me to get the tools I need without context switching that would be a great addition. I don't want to have to go edit configuration files just because I haven't installed some tool yet.
  - fesc 5y ago
    Yeah, the you would just do a quick `nix-shell -p <package>` and of you go. Much quicker than a `brew install` for me.
    - sontek 5y ago
      But I don't want it temporarily, I want it all the time. So I want to be able to make it available for future me too, that way next time I try to use it I don't have to run `nix-shell -p <package>` again