However, that’s not to say someone with minimal familiarity with the command line would fail with this distribution. For example, if you only need open-source software, NixOS could be a viable option. If, however, you need apps like Chrome, Slack, and Spotify, you might run into some frustration that will send you packing back to Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or Windows.
With that said, let’s get to what makes this distribution great.
Not everyone wants an Ubuntu or Linux Mint distribution. I’m not saying those two operating systems aren’t outstanding, but at some point, a Linux user might want something a bit more robust.
I’ve tried nearly every Linux OS I’ve come across, from the ridiculously simple (Ubuntu) to the astoundingly complex (Gentoo) and everything in between. So when I find a Linux distribution that can challenge me, I jump at the chance to see what it can do.
You’ll find two official versions of NixOS — one with GNOME and one with Plasma Desktop. During the installation, you’ll be offered the opportunity to install from a list of different desktop environments. For my testing, I chose Deepin Desktop because I’m a fan of its layout. So you might be asking: With so many easy-to-use desktop environments, why would NixOS be considered challenging for new users?
nix-shell -p slack
Ah, but we then run into our first problem. You see, out of the box, NixOS is configured not to install non-free software without a bit of help. When you run the above command, you’ll see in the output that there are two ways around this:
- a) To temporarily allow non-free packages, you can set a particular environment variable with the command: export NIXPKGS_ALLOW_UNFREE=1
- b) For `nixos-rebuild` set { nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true; } in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix.
However, when I look in configuration.nix, the allowUnfree option is already set to true. What’s the deal? Turns out, even though that option is global, you still have to create a config file in your home directory, specifically in ~/.config/nixpkgs. Oh, but wait, the nixpkgs directory doesn’t exist, so you have to create it first.
Also: The 5 best rolling release Linux distributions – and why you should be using one
Hopefully, you’re starting to see why, even with a user-friendly GUI, NixOS isn’t a good choice for new users. It’s a great choice if you have plenty of Linux experience, as it’s as rock solid as Debian or Arch. And if you only want to use open-source (free) software, you won’t have much in the way of problems (as long as you’re comfortable with the command line).
Even then, I opened the app and tried adding it to the dock, only to discover it was an unrecognized application. The good news is that after a reboot, everything was exactly as it should have been. I’m just not used to rebooting after installing an application in Linux. Go figure.
All it took was a reboot after installation and LibreOffice was in the desktop menu and ready to use.
Jack WallenZDNET
Frustrations can mount quickly with NixOS. Those frustrations are, however, surmountable. It just takes time. And effort. And Google (or DuckDuckGo). That’s why I recommend NixOS to Linux users who have a solid understanding of the basics.
Open Source