Re: [RFC] A simple draft for channels

[Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>]

myglc2@gmail.com writes:

> Ricardo, AIUI, your channels don't work like this. But I am at a loss to
> say how they will work in practice from the user's POV. If you could
> write such a description it would sure help us understand the proposal
> better.

This draft is similar to how Conda channels[1] work:

    Conda packages are downloaded from remote channels, which are URLs
    to directories containing conda packages. The conda command searches
    a default set of channels, and packages are automatically downloaded
    and updated from http://repo.continuum.io/pkgs/. You can modify what
    remote channels are automatically searched. You might want to do
    this to maintain a private or internal channel.

[1]: https://conda.io/docs/user-guide/concepts.html#conda-packages

In our case a channel consists of a git repository with Guile module
definitions and a channel description file.  Optionally, it points to a
URL from where substitutes can be fetched.

Other than that it behaves like a Conda user would expect:

   “Guix does not yet include ‘foolicious 2000’, but I know it has been
    packaged by someone else and made available on the
    ‘garlic-onion-sweat’ channel.  So I enable this channel, authorize
    its public key, and then install ‘foolicious 2000’.”

Users can add any number of channels; their modules will be downloaded
and built (TODO: this might be dangerous, so try sandboxing), and then
added to GUIX_PACKAGE_PATH.

The second iteration of this would involve some potluck ideas for extra
safety and convenience.

--
Ricardo

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