From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Alex Kost Subject: Inconsistencies in 'guix system' and 'guix package' Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 17:27:06 +0300 Message-ID: <87y4eoqtdx.fsf@gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:53683) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Zr5DS-0003WB-Ph for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:27:11 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Zr5DO-0005YT-Gz for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:27:10 -0400 Received: from mail-lf0-x22a.google.com ([2a00:1450:4010:c07::22a]:34547) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Zr5DO-0005YK-9l for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:27:06 -0400 Received: by lfaz124 with SMTP id z124so173525449lfa.1 for ; Tue, 27 Oct 2015 07:27:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: from leviafan ([217.107.192.146]) by smtp.gmail.com with ESMTPSA id q4sm1627106lfq.45.2015.10.27.07.27.04 for (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 bits=128/128); Tue, 27 Oct 2015 07:27:04 -0700 (PDT) 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: guix-devel@gnu.org Hello, 1. Should 'guix system' actions share the same options? I think it is confusing that recently added 'guix system' actions (dmd-graph, extension-graph and list-generations) can take the same command-line options as the other system actions (--dry-run, --no-grub, etc.), because specifying these options doesn't take any effect. Another thing: "guix system --help" displays the same help message for any action. With 'list-generations' it is even more confusing, as (unlike the other actions) it takes PATTERN, not FILE as the positional argument. What about splitting 'guix system' into submodules (as it is done for 'guix import') with putting general bits into (guix scripts system)? 2. What about adding subcommands for 'guix package'? As we have 'guix system list-generations', would it be more consistent to have 'guix package list-generations' instead of the current 'guix package --list-generations'? More generally, I think there is a similar issue with 'guix package', as with 'guix system': using some options together doesn't make sense (e.g., using --keep-failed, --show and --dry-run). For example, the following command: guix package --show=3Dmagit --list-generations=3D1 displays generation 1, while the following: guix package --list-generations=3D1 --show=3Dmagit describes 'magit' package. Analogously, would it be appropriate to replace some 'guix package' options (--show, --list-generations --list-installed, --list-available) with subcommands ('guix package show', ...)? I'm not talking about adding 'guix install' or alike as was discussed in a separate thread=C2=B9, but I agree with Andy that =C2=AB"guix package" is= doing too much as it is=C2=BB. =C2=B9 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2015-08/msg00086.html --=20 Alex