Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

Anyone using NixOS as a server in production? We're on FreeBSD now but I think Linux in our stack is inevitable (many servers, like Aerospike, are Linux only). There's always Ubuntu, but this looks lovely. I've had my eye on it for a personal Linux workstation but haven't heard anything about it as a server.

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#5

Post by paxcoder » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:06 PM UTC

GNU/Linux distribution with revertible package management.

EDIT: I believe that my description is more accurate and if I am wrong I would like to be corrected. But I'd appreciate if you didn't downvote me simply because I use the term "GNU/Linux". I don't downvote you if you use the kernel's name for the entire OS. Thanks.

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#6

Post by geofft » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:07 PM UTC

sdegutis wrote: post #3

> where multiple versions of the same library or application can live in harmony How does NixOS solve the diamond dependency problem?

I think in practice, I have far less trouble with the actual diamond dependency problem - binary A requires libraries B and C, which depend on two different versions of D - than the boring version - system A runs binaries B and C, which depend on two different versions of D. NixOS solves the latter.

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#7

Post by davexunit » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:09 PM UTC

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#8

Post by corysama » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:10 PM UTC

sdegutis wrote: post #3

> where multiple versions of the same library or application can live in harmony How does NixOS solve the diamond dependency problem?

If you are asking about a single application depending on conflicting libraries such that it can't be built at all, I don't think NixOS can solve that. What it can do is have multiple conflicting libraries installed simultaneously and individual applications can choose which completely-defined environment they want to run in.

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#9

Post by k__ » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:11 PM UTC

I think NixOS is the future, but there needs to be more time put into UX.

Distros like Ubuntu are still much easier to get running and this scares many people away :/

Re: Purely Functional Linux with NixOS [video]

#10

Post by smallnamespace » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 7:14 PM UTC

sdegutis wrote: post #3

> where multiple versions of the same library or application can live in harmony How does NixOS solve the diamond dependency problem?

It's largely mitigated by allowing multiple versions.

Imagine A depends on B and C, which both depend on D. The diamond dependency usually pops up when B and C need different versions of D.

But in this case, Nix allows you to simply install another version of B or C such that they can share D.

This doesn't help you if there's no set of A ... D that are jointly consistent, but then you would've been SOL anyway.