 | |
| Release Status | Maintained |
|---|---|
| Release Model | Varied depending on user configuration |
| Package Manager | Nix |
| Default Desktops | Awesome, Enlightenment, Fluxbox, GNOME, i3, IceWM, KDE Plasma, LXQt, Ratpoison, Xfce |
| Usage Type | Desktop, Server |
| Architectures | i686, x86_64, aarch64 |
| Website | nixos.org |
NixOS is a Linux distribution built around the Nix package manager, which provides atomic upgrades, rollbacks, and a declarative configuration model.[1] It was originally founded by Eelco Dolstra.[2]
Home Manager
Home Manager is a NixOS module for configuring user environments in /home, often integrated directly into NixOS to enable unified system and user-level rebuilds. It provides a broad range of options beyond standard NixOS configurations, allowing users to manage dotfiles, install and configure applications, and customize environment settings for a tailored, reproducible setup.
Lix
Lix is a community fork of Nix. It uses the Meson build system, though the Lix team also plans to gradually introduce Rust to the source code.[3] The project also aims to evolve the Nix language into the new Lix language—maintaining general syntactic compatibility with Nix but introducing refinements and new features.[3]
Controversy
Anduril Sponsorship
NixCon 2023, a community conference dedicated to the Nix project, received a sponsorship from Anduril, a U.S.-based military defense contractor. Upon learning of the sponsorship, the event venue, TU Darmstadt, requested additional information from the Nix Foundation to assess whether the sponsorship aligned with its policies. In response, the Nix Foundation ultimately decided to withdraw Anduril's sponsorship.[4]
Change of Leadership
Following an open letter criticizing the Nix Foundation and calling for the resignation of Eelco Dolstra, he eventually stepped down.[5][6] After his resignation, a new board was established. Their first action was to lift the ban on a controversial user from the Nixpkgs contributor Zulip chat, sparking further debate.[6]
Trivia
- NixOS uses a purely functional package management approach, ensuring that package installations do not interfere with one another.
- The Nix package manager allows for reproducible builds, making it ideal for development environments.
- ↑ https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/index.html#sec-intro
- ↑ https://edolstra.github.io/pubs/phd-thesis.pdf
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://lix.systems/about/#why-lix
- ↑ https://discourse.nixos.org/t/nixcon-2023-sponsorship-situation-from-the-nixos-foundation/33583
- ↑ https://save-nix-together.org
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://mastodon.delroth.net/@delroth/112450680035780629