Guix development on GuixSD, recommended setup and process

Guix development on GuixSD, recommended setup and process

[白い熊]

Hi Guix:

I'd like to install GuixSD and experiment with Guix git development and contributing. For this I'd like to ask what the proper recommended setup would be.

Concretely, how should I go about it:

— First, logically, install GuixSD and set the system up.
— Then clone the Guix git.

Then though — would it be “smarter” to git update always the checkout and run programs from within the preenv leaving the underlying GuixSD system minimal for what needs to be set up in the system?

I.e. all user applications, like browser, office, would be installed and run from the git version?

Or would be more recommended to install and run these from within the base GuixSD system?

Why either?

Is there any other interface between the GuixSD system and the git version I should be aware of or utilize?

Many thanks for your advice, if any.

-- 
Best regards / 宜しく御願い致します / S pozdravem / C уважением / Z poważaniem /
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
白い熊

Re: Guix development on GuixSD, recommended setup and process

[Julien Lepiller]

Le 31 mars 2020 07:38:44 GMT-04:00, "白い熊" <help-guix_gnu.org@sumou.com> a écrit :
>Hi Guix:
>
>I'd like to install GuixSD and experiment with Guix git development and
>contributing. For this I'd like to ask what the proper recommended
>setup would be.
>
>Concretely, how should I go about it:
>
>— First, logically, install GuixSD and set the system up.
>— Then clone the Guix git.
>
>Then though — would it be “smarter” to git update always the checkout
>and run programs from within the preenv leaving the underlying GuixSD
>system minimal for what needs to be set up in the system?
>
>I.e. all user applications, like browser, office, would be installed
>and run from the git version?
>
>Or would be more recommended to install and run these from within the
>base GuixSD system?
>
>Why either?
>
>Is there any other interface between the GuixSD system and the git
>version I should be aware of or utilize?
>
>Many thanks for your advice, if any.

Hi 白い熊,

I personnaly use the git checkout only to apply patches and try changes. It is sometimes in a state that's broken because of my modifications, so I prefer not to use it. I also have channels, and sometimes they break because of changes in guix. In times like this, it is more convenient to roll back, wait for a fix in the channels and pull again.

In terms of packages, they are the same: there is no difference between the hash of a package built from a git commit and a package built from guix (pulled at the same commit), so there is no more duplication than usual, especially since I pull every few days anyway.

My system is always minimal, and I install packages in my user profile (or actually my home manager's profile).

HTH!

Re: Guix development on GuixSD, recommended setup and process

[白い熊]

Mar 31, 2020 14:32:26 Julien Lepiller <julien@lepiller.eu>:

> Hi 白い熊,

Hi Julien:

Thanks for your tips.

> In terms of packages, they are the same: there is no difference between the hash of a package built from a git commit and a package built from guix (pulled at the same commit), so there is no more duplication than usual, especially since I pull every few days anyway.

But is the GuixSD going to pull in changes from the git — do they get propagated soon? I thought the system is more “stable” in terms of not using the latest git pushed changes.

> My system is always minimal, and I install packages in my user profile (or actually my home manager's profile).

I'd like to do this, but don't know how to go about in — could you help me with a simple example?

I've read the “Guix profiles in practice”¹ webpage, but don't understand how to simply implement them like this?

I know how to declare a system and install GuixSD. So let's say, I'll have a minimal system. Now I'd like to have StumpWM as the WM and then let's say Emacs, MC, and LibreOffice as user apps.

Should I have two profiles — one for the home manager with StumpWM and one for shiroikuma (myself, the user) with mc, emacs, and libreoffice in it?

What should they be — I'm not experienced enough to write them. Where do I call / declare them, how do I then update?

Sorry for going so in depth — but if you could post the full profile text for this simple case and give me guidance on how to use it, I'd be much obliged.

Many thanks! :@)
—
[1] https://guix.gnu.org/blog/2019/guix-profiles-in-practice/

-- 
Best regards / 宜しく御願い致します / S pozdravem / C уважением / Z poważaniem /
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
白い熊

Re: Guix development on GuixSD, recommended setup and process

[Julien Lepiller]

Le 31 mars 2020 09:59:23 GMT-04:00, "白い熊" <help-guix_gnu.org@sumou.com> a écrit :
>Mar 31, 2020 14:32:26 Julien Lepiller <julien@lepiller.eu>:
>
>> Hi 白い熊,
>
>Hi Julien:
>
>Thanks for your tips.
>
>> In terms of packages, they are the same: there is no difference
>between the hash of a package built from a git commit and a package
>built from guix (pulled at the same commit), so there is no more
>duplication than usual, especially since I pull every few days anyway.
>
>But is the GuixSD going to pull in changes from the git — do they get
>propagated soon? I thought the system is more “stable” in terms of not
>using the latest git pushed changes.

No, Guix System will be configured with the guix you used. If you pulled recently, you get a recent system. Otherwise, you get an older system. Your cloned repository is separate from guix itself, but as you noted, you can use pre-inst-env to use that version. Unless you have local changes you want to use in your system, running guix pull and guix system reconfigure is the same as running reconfigure from your git checkout. In fact, guix pull is more or less a wrapper around git pull :)

>
>> My system is always minimal, and I install packages in my user
>profile (or actually my home manager's profile).
>
>I'd like to do this, but don't know how to go about in — could you help
>me with a simple example?

The simplest way to do that is to use your default profile, with guix package and its aliases. I.m talking about the profile created by guix home, my home manager, but I don't really recommend uting it yet. You can still find it at https://framagit.org/tyreunom/guix-home-manager

>
>I've read the “Guix profiles in practice”¹ webpage, but don't
>understand how to simply implement them like this?
>
>I know how to declare a system and install GuixSD. So let's say, I'll
>have a minimal system. Now I'd like to have StumpWM as the WM and then
>let's say Emacs, MC, and LibreOffice as user apps.

I think you need StumpWM to be part of your system profile (in the package field of your operating-system declaration). Then as your user, you can install your other software with: guix install emacs mc libreoffice

You can also use a manifest to more explicitely track installed packages. You will want more profiles if you do development or want some special-purpose profiles for other reasons. Software you will use in general should go to your default profile, as they will always be available.

>
>Should I have two profiles — one for the home manager with StumpWM and
>one for shiroikuma (myself, the user) with mc, emacs, and libreoffice
>in it?

Sorry for talking about the home manager, I tgink I confused you. As I said above, your window manager or desktop manager should go in the system profile, other software in your user profile.

>What should they be — I'm not experienced enough to write them. Where
>do I call / declare them, how do I then update?
>
>Sorry for going so in depth — but if you could post the full profile
>text for this simple case and give me guidance on how to use it, I'd be
>much obliged.

It's fine, ask as much as you want :)

>
>Many thanks! :@)
>—
>[1] https://guix.gnu.org/blog/2019/guix-profiles-in-practice/