2 months ago
- The author considered switching back to Arch after four weeks on NixOS due to missing the direct, imperative system interaction and feeling distanced from Linux knowledge.
- After posting on the NixOS Discord, community responses highlighted that NixOS offers reproducibility, rollbacks, and finite control, which matched the author's frustrations with Arch breaking.
- Existing Linux knowledge transfers to NixOS in substance (understanding how systems work) but not in familiarity with file locations, making an Arch background helpful rather than irrelevant.
- Trying to configure everything 'the Nix way' led to overcomplexity; the author learned it's fine to use native config formats via symlinks and only control system-level aspects with Nix.
- The declarative model simplifies maintenance, prevents losing configurations, and reduces anxiety about updates, though it initially felt unfamiliar.
- The author ultimately finds NixOS worth committing to, recommending community support and noting the learning curve is real but surmountable.
- Recommended resources include Vimjoyer, NixOS Discord, Nix Pills, and LLMs for troubleshooting.