Going immutable on macOS, using Nix-Darwin
9 hours ago
- #macOS
- #Nix
- #SystemConfiguration
- The article discusses transitioning from Homebrew to nix-darwin for managing macOS environments.
- Homebrew's imperativeness leads to issues like version mismatches and system rot.
- Nix offers reproducibility, rollbacks, and system immutability through the Nix store.
- Nix-darwin allows declarative system configuration, including macOS-specific settings.
- Nix Flakes ensure system consistency by pinning dependencies to exact versions.
- Ephemeral shells in Nix allow temporary usage of software without system-wide installation.
- The learning curve for Nix is steep, requiring understanding of Nix language and macOS specifics.
- A hybrid approach using both Nix and Homebrew is recommended for GUI applications.
- Steps to start with Nix include installing the Determinate Nix Installer and setting up modular configuration files.