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I loved the idea of Guix and considered experimenting with it on my laptop, but unfortunately their insistence on free software purity makes it tough to adopt.

I loved the idea of Guix and considered experimenting with it on my laptop, but unfortunately their insistence on free software purity makes it tough to adopt. The Linux Libre kernel is totally unsuitable for use on any modern equipment due to the unavoidable need for proprietary firmware, and in general any use of non-free software isn't just avoided in the community/ecosystem, it's something no one is even allowed to talk about. I can certainly admire and appreciate that level of idealism and adherence to principles, but unfortunately, at least IME, it limits where Guix could be adopted.

acdw 4y ago
I've hit this before on official channels, too (namely #guix). I did discover the forbidden knowledge of non-guix repo at one point, but I agree that it's silly to not even acknowledge its existence. just turns people off honestly. we're not all rms.
opan 4y ago
There is a #nonguix IRC channel on the same network (as well as a Guix Channel containing packages), and you have the option to install regular Linux instead of Linux-libre. I am lucky to not need to do any of this, but the option is there, and several people take advantage of it. They simply do not wish to discuss non-free software in the main official channel. If this is your only holdup, I hope you'll give it another try.
- BaseballPhysics 4y ago
  The total lack of any reasonable support anywhere online outside of an IRC channel makes this a tough thing to justify. Guix is already a niche solution in a niche area of distributions and package management, and finding solutions to problems is hard enough. The fact that there's an actual social stigma to even mentioning the non-free repo dramatically reduces the chances you'll find any meaningful help online. Heck, I recall hitting Google and trying to search for "Guix stock kernel" and finding zero meaningful results beyond some hints of a non-free repo that no one could point to or talk about in any of the "official" project venues.
  - opan 4y ago
    IRC channels are what I consider the main support for the vast majority of free software projects. What else would there be? A forum or something? There's the manual and the mailing lists. If you meet users of Guix out in the wild you can talk to them wherever you are also. This doesn't seem particularly unique to me.
  - wdkrnls 4y ago
    There is also a gitlab repo with easy to follow instructions for making custom installation media with a single Guix command and a git clone. https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix

acdw 4y ago

I've hit this before on official channels, too (namely #guix). I did discover the forbidden knowledge of non-guix repo at one point, but I agree that it's silly to not even acknowledge its existence. just turns people off honestly. we're not all rms.

opan 4y ago

There is a #nonguix IRC channel on the same network (as well as a Guix Channel containing packages), and you have the option to install regular Linux instead of Linux-libre. I am lucky to not need to do any of this, but the option is there, and several people take advantage of it. They simply do not wish to discuss non-free software in the main official channel. If this is your only holdup, I hope you'll give it another try.

BaseballPhysics 4y ago
The total lack of any reasonable support anywhere online outside of an IRC channel makes this a tough thing to justify. Guix is already a niche solution in a niche area of distributions and package management, and finding solutions to problems is hard enough. The fact that there's an actual social stigma to even mentioning the non-free repo dramatically reduces the chances you'll find any meaningful help online. Heck, I recall hitting Google and trying to search for "Guix stock kernel" and finding zero meaningful results beyond some hints of a non-free repo that no one could point to or talk about in any of the "official" project venues.
- opan 4y ago
  IRC channels are what I consider the main support for the vast majority of free software projects. What else would there be? A forum or something? There's the manual and the mailing lists. If you meet users of Guix out in the wild you can talk to them wherever you are also. This doesn't seem particularly unique to me.
- wdkrnls 4y ago
  There is also a gitlab repo with easy to follow instructions for making custom installation media with a single Guix command and a git clone. https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix