Re: Communication and Design at Guix

[swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net>]

On 2019-01-17 12:10, Ricardo Wurmus wrote:
> 
> L p R n d n <guix@lprndn.info> writes:
> 
>> Guix is ...
>>
>> ... a package and system manager. (A seen previously, system manager is
>> too wide)
>> ... a package manager and machine administrator.
>> ... a package and machine administrator.
>> ... a package and environment manager.
>>
>> WDYT? If anyone has an idea, don't be shy :)
> 
> “administrator” is generally understood to be a person (as in “system
> administrator”).  “environment manager” is just as vague as “system
> manager”, in my opinion — “everything is the environment!”.  It only
> makes sense to people who are already familiar with the term
> “environment” in a computing context.
> 
> That’s the advantage the word “package manager” has — it’s already a
> well-established term, for better or worse.
> 
>> I'd like to keep the "package manager" part as it'll probably ring a
>> bell to any linux user and helps understand the not so familiar part
>> (system/environment dealing).
> 
> Right, that’s what I meant.
> We are underselling Guix, though, if we keep referring to it as a
> “package manager”, because people’s familiarity with other package
> managers may make them think in smaller terms.
> 
> FWIW, I’m with Ludo here with regards to “Guix” as the “single brand”.
> I disagree with this part that George wrote:
> 
>> "Guix System" is a "bad" name for "GuixSD." Why? Because a new user's
>> first expectation is for "Guix system" to refer to the whole of Guix,
>> which we want to call "Guix" (referred to as "Guix Brand" below).
> 
> In my experience “… system” is not generally used to describe a tool’s
> full set of features.  I think “Guix System” is just the right term for
> everything that Guix generates or operates on with the “guix system” set
> of commands.  “GuixOS” is, in my opinion, a pretty terrible name (I’m
> also not a fan of all the other “…OS” names out there) and it needlessly
> keeps the confusion between “Guix, the tool” and “Guix, the system”
> alive.

Interesting.

So if we go with "Guix System" would the following sentences be meaningful?

"Is your operating system running Guix?" (ambiguous)

"Which operating system do you use? Guix System."
"Are you on Guix System?"
"Which version of Guix System are you using?" (we should really have 
something like lsb_release -a output this term)
"How did you install your Guix System?"
"Can I dual-boot Guix System and Parabola GNU/Linux?"

"A: My Guix System runs Linux. B: Oh, I use the Hurd on mine!"
"I love the R.M. Stallman picture that is on my Guix System during 
boot!" :D (https://wallup.net/wallpapers/richard-stallman/)

"My Guix System performs really well"
"Since I switched my operating system to Guix System I have not looked back"
"I love my Guix System!"
"Guix helps me get things done instead of losing myself in the details 
of dependencies and stuff when coding"
"Guix makes it easy for me to sandbox my browser so I can surf without 
worrying too much"
"Guix System boots a little slower than XX but it is worth the wait!"
"I really like the roll-back provided by Guix System when I end up in a 
broken state" (geek version)
"I really like the roll-back provided by Guix System when my pc won't 
boot and just goes black so I can't use the mouse or log in." (non-geek 
version)
"I recommend Guix System because it makes it easy to copy your friends 
OS setup so that you can get to all the fun parts quickly without 
worrying about installing this or that - everything is there 
out-of-the-box!".

If not please comment.

-- 
Cheers Swedebugia