Re: Merging the “binary” NPM importer?

[zimoun <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com>]

Hi,

On Fri, 8 Oct 2021 at 16:17, Katherine Cox-Buday
<cox.katherine.e@gmail.com> wrote:
> Maxim Cournoyer <maxim.cournoyer@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > I'm not too keen on having an importer which produces packages that
> > can't be included in Guix proper -- it seems a double standard to me.
> > I'd personally prefer to have such tool maintained outside of Guix
> > proper.
>
> I disagree with this because the benefit of Guix can extend beyond the packages it provides. It is a computing environment and not the sum of its parts.

Instead of a strong inclusion, one could imagine this importer as a
regular package using GUIX_EXTENSION_PATH.  For instance, it could be:

   guix install guix-import-npm

then something like:

  guix import-npm <options>

This just works, modulo some polishing and doc. :-)  For an example,
see the package gwl.  An example using another strategy is using a
channel, for instance
<https://framagit.org/tyreunom/guix-home-manager>.

I have not checked if this "extension" system could work for
subcommands as the importers, i.e., having something like:

   guix import npm

where this 'npm' would not be part of Guix proper (not in
guix/import/) but instead would be a package extending Guix.

This seems road to take, IMHO.

WDYT?


> I don't always have full control over my computing environments. There are certain contexts, say my job, that require that I run binaries for which I don't have source code. Guix having the flexibility to support me in these contexts allows me to keep using, contributing, and supporting Guix. I.e., there's a network effect.
>
> In my opinion, Guix should be the gentle current towards its free ecosystem. But it should also acknowledge the wider world in which it exists, and be supportive of its users in those contexts too. I don't think this in any way diminishes the strong principles it adheres to.

I agree.  However, instead of include all directly in Guix proper, I
think it is better to make experiments outside Guix proper and in the
same keep the Guix tooling at hand.  And from my understanding, it
means extend Guix. :-)  If it shows it is worth, then let merge to
Guix.

Cheers,
simon