Stop using nix-env -iA and add better instructions for Nix users
#538
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The pitfalls of using `nix-env -iA` are explained at https://stop-using-nix-env.privatevoid.net/. In summary, using `nix-env -iA` to install packages is bad because of potential name collisions, confusing conflicts with other packages installed by other means, and are generally against the declarative principles of Nix.
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thanks :) |
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This PR is an alternative to #506.
The original explanation for this PR's change is at #506 (comment) and is copied below.
Nix is a complex beast, with a package management system that looks alien compared to other package managers. A comment on a Github issue is a poor place to explain all that is Nix, so I'll try to provide a short summary of Nix here, and just the parts that are immediately relevant to this issue.
One of the primary points of Nix is declarative package management and configuration. Whereas with other package managers the way to install something would be a shell command, e.g.
sudo apt install firefoxandsudo pacman -S firefox, the best way to install a package in Nix is editing configuration files. This is conceptually similar to thego.modfor Go programs, but in the case of Nix, these configuration files defines a configuration of a system, including what programs are installed.However, Nix also provides several other ways to "install" a package. This is where
nix-env -iA zkandnix profile install nixpkgs#zkcomes from. These two commands install the package imperatively, and I would argue both of these commands are anti-patterns, because Nix is designed for declarative package management.Nix (and NixOS) configurations can get highly customized. Installation instructions necessarily have to assume the user has some basic Nix knowledge. I recommend these lines in the section for Nix in the readme: