GSoC ideas for GNU Guix

[ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès)]

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Good evening!

Below is a list of GSoC ideas for GNU Guix.

Guix people: you’re welcome to put your name as the mentor of one of the
projects below, and to propose other ideas.

Thanks!
Ludo’.


<h4>Supporting binary package distribution through GNUnet</h4>

<p>
GNU Guix provides a transparent binary/source deployment model.  A
server can claim: “hey, I have the binary for
<tt>/nix/store/v9zic07iar8w90zcy398r745w78a7lqs-emacs-24.3</tt>!”, where the
base32 string uniquely identifies a build process.  If you trust that
server to provide genuine binaries, then you can grab them instead of
building Emacs locally.
</p>

<p>
The “traditional model” has been to have a build farm build and serve
binary packages.  In that model, users trust the build farm to provide
authentic binaries.
</p>

<p>
The project aims to provide a <emph>practical</emph> decentralization
distribution mechanism for binary packages, using <a
href="/software/gnunet">GNUnet’s file sharing service</a>.  In that
model, users would be able to automatically share binaries they have
built locally, and to install binaries built by other users.  This is
part of a broader goal of <emph>disintermediation</emph> among users,
and between users and upstream software developers.
</p>

<p>
Problems to be solved <a
href="http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2013-03/msg00085.html">include</a>
the authentication of binary packages, user privacy, and the development
of a user interface that makes it trivial to contribute package build
results.
</p>

<strong>Mentor</strong>: <a href="mailto:ludo@gnu.org">Ludovic Court&egrave;s</a>


<h4>Package management from Emacs</h4>

<p>
  The goal of this project is to write a complete package management
  user interface for use in GNU&nbsp;Emacs.  The UI would provide the
  same functionality as the <tt>guix package</tt> command, but using an
  interface similar to that of <tt>package.el</tt>.
</p>

<strong>Mentor</strong>: <a href="mailto:ludo@gnu.org">Ludovic Court&egrave;s</a>


<h4>Porting Guix to GNU/Hurd</h4>

<p>
  GNU Guix currently supports building packages for GNU/Linux only.  The
  goal of this project would be to allow it to cross-build and build
  packages for GNU/Hurd, and to provide a virtual machine image that
  boots into such a system.
</p>
<p>
  This would involve packaging Mach/Hurd/MiG/libc, adjusting allowing
  cross-compilation to GNU/Hurd, cross-compiling the “bootstrap
  binaries” for GNU/Hurd, and then working towards support for GNU/Hurd
  in the <code>(gnu system)</code> Guix modules.  This last point would
  allow a VM image of the complete system to be built.
</p>

<strong>Mentor</strong>: <a href="mailto:ludo@gnu.org">Ludovic Court&egrave;s</a>

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