[Nix-dev] systemd in the long run: Revisiting How We Put Together Linux Systems (it's almost Nix...)

[Luca Bruno]

On 02/09/2014 09:06, Nathan Bijnens wrote:
> The systemd kabal just wrote a blog post detailing their long term
> vision on Linux. They have great issue with traditional package
> managers (who can blame them?). 
>
> They sketch a possible solution, based on a whole lof of BTRFS
> subvolumes, sort of used like docker images but linked to each other
> (it sounds as complicated as it is).
>
> http://0pointer.net/blog/revisiting-how-we-put-together-linux-systems.html
>
> I have the feeling they're trying to recreate what already exists and
> works in Nix, I have the feeling they're unaware of this little great OS.
I've replied to G+, and Lennart also replied to me. You can find the
discussion easily on G+. They are well aware of Nix and other systems
such as GoboLinux or 0install and so on.
However this is the direction in the future, more stateless and
reproducible systems. Nix is not the perfection so I don't think yet
another project like this will hurt. Systems are evolving through this
path, so expect to see more and more attempts to achieve what Nix does.

Not only, they may even solve problems at kernel/system level for which
we don't have manpower or enough marketing impact, and Nix may even take
advantage of their work. In other words, let the system itself be more
stateless instead of writing hacks in Nix all the way to make it work
statelessly.

We're heading toward a new paradigm, and having new ideas on how to
solve the same problem is about a necessity I'd say. What tool will
survive in the end I don't know (might even be a Nix fork).

So +1 if they are really able to bring something new to table. -1 if
they don't even solve what Nix is able to solve currently without proper
system support. We'll see.

Best regards,