many packages become nonfunctional if not install in fixed profiles (e.g. ~/.guix-profile)

These are two instances

1. blueman

2. font-conf so most of font like font-lohit will not be available

I had noticed that fixed profiles have become part of many packages/services definition

which could be the reason that many of these packages/services become dependent on

these fixed profiles.

It can be checked with

$ ag   --scheme  '.guix-profile'

$ grep -r '.guix-profile'

in code

Also

We provides necessary services through putting environment variables in each profiles

PROFILE_PATH/etc/profile

  like for pidgin/purple

  PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH

  for libraries

  LIBRARY_PATH

As suggestion

We could first provide augment all variables with guix specific prefix e.g. GUIX_PEV_...

(PVS profile environment variables.)

So these all variables will become

  GUIX_PEV_PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH

  GUIX_PEV_LIBRARY_PATH

then we could or could not (left to user) to set them

  PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH=$GUIX_PEV_PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH

  LIBRARY_PATH=$GUIX_PEV_LIBRARY_PATH

So with prefixed env vars, in first look one will know it is coming from guix related profiles.

maybe it will also help in removing dependencies on fixed profiles.

/syam