From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Andy Wingo Subject: Re: Add guix install command Date: Fri, 07 Aug 2015 14:36:25 +0200 Message-ID: <87r3nfgtrq.fsf@igalia.com> References: <87pp32ulfj.fsf@igalia.com> <87614rsfpn.fsf@gmail.com> <87h9obpjps.fsf@elephly.net> <87wpx7gvdw.fsf@igalia.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:41768) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1ZNgsz-0004cU-GR for guix-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 07 Aug 2015 08:36:34 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1ZNgsw-0002nm-BW for guix-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 07 Aug 2015 08:36:33 -0400 Received: from pb-sasl1.int.icgroup.com ([208.72.237.25]:56527 helo=sasl.smtp.pobox.com) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1ZNgsw-0002mH-5Z for guix-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 07 Aug 2015 08:36:30 -0400 In-Reply-To: (David Thompson's message of "Fri, 7 Aug 2015 08:22:20 -0400") List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: "Thompson, David" Cc: guix-devel , Alex Kost Thanks for the comments. Just a couple points, happy to wait for Ludovic to get back. On Fri 07 Aug 2015 14:22, "Thompson, David" writes: >> In the case of "guix install", yes. However what would you show for >> "guix install --help"? What would error messages show: "guix package" >> or "guix install"? Would the user perceive it as a separate command or >> would the fact that it is an alias be visible to the user? > > If we were to go the aliasing route, we could still make the --help > and --version flags show 'guix install' with a simple pattern match on > the arguments list. You would have to modify the set of arguments as well. What it mean to say e.g. "guix install --remove foo bar" ? If it were supported as an alias and all guix package options were there, "guix package --remove foo bar" would remove foo and bar, but you might expect "guix install --remove foo bar" to remove foo but install bar -- but even then "guix install --remove" is nonsensical. To me I see the advantage of guix install as "paving the cowpaths" -- making a common use case easy while still pointing to more powerful tools. > every other tool encapsulates it's full functionality under a single > subcommand: import, system, environment, gc, lint, etc. This is a very slight advantage from the maintainer POV but from the user's POV it's a negative thing, I think. "guix package" just does too much: for example try "guix package --install foo --list-available". It doesn't install foo at all, or even try! Andy