From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic =?utf-8?Q?Court=C3=A8s?=) Subject: Re: GNU Guix 0.2 released Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 20:04:48 +0200 Message-ID: <87ehd8dsqn.fsf@gnu.org> References: <871u98d3pq.fsf@invergo.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:56463) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Ucg4d-0001J9-O5 for bug-guix@gnu.org; Wed, 15 May 2013 14:05:16 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Ucg4T-0003ZK-QB for bug-guix@gnu.org; Wed, 15 May 2013 14:05:11 -0400 In-Reply-To: <871u98d3pq.fsf@invergo.net> (Brandon Invergo's message of "Wed, 15 May 2013 10:53:05 +0200") List-Id: Bug reports for GNU Guix List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: bug-guix-bounces+gcggb-bug-guix=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: bug-guix-bounces+gcggb-bug-guix=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: Brandon Invergo Cc: gnu-system-discuss@gnu.org, =?utf-8?Q?Germ=C3=A1n?= Arias , bug-guix@gnu.org (Stripping Cc list.) Brandon Invergo skribis: > Guix, on the other hand, is a full package manager that will eventually > form the foundation of a GNU distribution. It has far more features as > a package manager, including some really novel ones that go above and > beyond the usual package management functionality (better to let Ludovic > explain). Yes. Basically Guix is two things: a package manager (like, say, dpkg/APT), and a distribution. The package manager provides the features tools like APT implement. >From a user=E2=80=99s viewpoint, in addition to what common package managers implement, it supports nifty features, detailed at . >From a developer=E2=80=99s viewpoint, its functional approach simplifies reasoning about package composition, and allows developers to actually check that packages do build and work together (see .) Also, it has a Scheme API that makes packaging relatively easy (see ). > The Guix distribution will provide all of the software necessary to > have a complete, bootable GNU system, including non-GNU packages. It > will also handle all the fun "under-the-hood" stuff like system > configuration and initialization, etc. Yes. Currently the distro has ~400 packages, and can only be used atop a running GNU/Linux system. In that sense, it=E2=80=99s comparable to GSRC= in that it provides a way to install the latest versions of GNU packages (though GSRC has more GNU packages, I think.) But as Brandon notes, the longer-term goal is to build =E2=80=9Cthe GNU Sys= tem=E2=80=9D. Until now, the GNU Project has been providing many independent packages, which have been integrated and delivered to final users by others. In a way, this is great, because it=E2=80=99s a sign that the free software ideals have expanded way beyond the GNU Project. However, I believe it=E2=80=99s also detrimental to GNU in several ways. Distros have been making compromises, in particular to software freedom, that contradict GNU=E2=80=99s vision. Integration of GNU software, and coh= esion among the various GNU packages has arguably suffered. Distros have contributed to a disconnection between users and developers of GNU packages. Distro branding has made GNU, and to some extent its political message, much less visible to users. Etc. Having a GNU distro is an opportunity to fix these problems. A stronger GNU Project is good for individual GNU packages, and it=E2=80=99s good for software freedom. Let=E2=80=99s build that GNU System! :-) Ludo=E2=80=99.