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The question is reproducibility, the answer is Nix. It doesn't matter if you're using Python, Rust, C, Haskell, bash or some fresh hell written in PHP 4, perl

The question is reproducibility, the answer is Nix. It doesn't matter if you're using Python, Rust, C, Haskell, bash or some fresh hell written in PHP 4, perl and a fork of Netscape from 1999. The answer is Nix. The Nix way _solves_ dependency management. https://edolstra.github.io/pubs/phd-thesis.pdf https://edolstra.github.io/pubs/phd-thesis.pdf

vdvsvwvwvwvwv 2y ago
I keep meaning to try it. I love the idea. Docker being good enough for many circumstances means there has been no pain motivation to try it for me. Docker vs. nothing is a huge leap. Deploying Python in particular would be untenable with out it (or a VM init script) I heard Nix is a great way to build containers though.
- l0b0 2y ago
  > I heard Nix is a great way to build containers though. It is, I'd recommend the fantastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Le0IbPRzOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Le0IbPRzOE to appreciate some major differences.
sourcepluck 2y ago
Agreed - although I came to the same sorts of realisations through Guix, the fundaments of the projects are the same (as I presume and hope you and other Nix people know). So the answer is Nix and its spiritual sibling, Guix, and any other project that attempts to implement the meat of that thesis there (which I hadn't seen actually - thank you!). I feel there's a surprisingly strong standoffishness between the two communities of users, but that's a side point. On topic though, for example, https://guix.gnu.org/en/blog/2020/reproducible-computations-with-guix/ https://guix.gnu.org/en/blog/2020/reproducible-computations-..., and there are other excellent posts on the Guix blog going in to great detail on the topic of reproducibility and the efforts they are putting in there.
CJefferson 2y ago
I tried using nix to build some old software, but failed miserably. Could you give me an example guide to someone packaging older software, that often also needs older compilers, with Nix?

vdvsvwvwvwvwv 2y ago

I keep meaning to try it. I love the idea. Docker being good enough for many circumstances means there has been no pain motivation to try it for me. Docker vs. nothing is a huge leap. Deploying Python in particular would be untenable with out it (or a VM init script) I heard Nix is a great way to build containers though.

l0b0 2y ago
> I heard Nix is a great way to build containers though. It is, I'd recommend the fantastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Le0IbPRzOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Le0IbPRzOE to appreciate some major differences.

sourcepluck 2y ago

Agreed - although I came to the same sorts of realisations through Guix, the fundaments of the projects are the same (as I presume and hope you and other Nix people know). So the answer is Nix and its spiritual sibling, Guix, and any other project that attempts to implement the meat of that thesis there (which I hadn't seen actually - thank you!). I feel there's a surprisingly strong standoffishness between the two communities of users, but that's a side point. On topic though, for example, https://guix.gnu.org/en/blog/2020/reproducible-computations-with-guix/ https://guix.gnu.org/en/blog/2020/reproducible-computations-..., and there are other excellent posts on the Guix blog going in to great detail on the topic of reproducibility and the efforts they are putting in there.

CJefferson 2y ago

I tried using nix to build some old software, but failed miserably. Could you give me an example guide to someone packaging older software, that often also needs older compilers, with Nix?