On Wed, Dec 05, 2018 at 10:56:12PM -0300, Laura Lazzati wrote:
> Then I realized about it and only found it as a verb in American
> English . Maybe that is why I thought it was a typo. Anyone whose
> mother tongue is English can shed some light? Thanks for reverting :)

The definition of 'effect' as a verb in the English wiktionary [0] is
simple: "To make or bring about; to implement."

In my opinion, using 'effect' in this way demonstrates a very high level
of fluency, even for native English speakers.

You would not use it unless you knew that your audience was highly
educated or 'well-read' in English.

You only use 'effect' as a verb when you 'make or bring about' something
that is abstract or intangible. You do not 'effect' a house or a bowl of
soup; you make, create, or build them.

Merriam-Webster [1] includes a definition which helps us understand the
usage in the Guix manual: "to put into operation".

Remember, the manual says, "This effects all the configuration specified
in config.scm: user accounts, system services, et cetera".

If you change that sentence to use the Merriam-Webster definition, I
think the meaning is clear:

"This puts into operation all the configuration specified in config.scm ..."

[0]
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effect#Verb

[1] 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effect

And some extra reading, another good explanation. I agree with them that
this usage is "not common, but acceptable in rare cases."
https://web.ku.edu/~edit/affect.html