If the same nix expression is evaluated with different arguments, the output will change. Nix is similar to APT and YUM. NixOS also does detect and configure hardware drivers (though mine had problems, see below), but it takes more work to properly set up a desktop environment in NixOS. It's actually in a NixOS container so that its disk pollution is contained, and so that it doesn't configure any services in the main system. The function arguments in a nix expression take the form of source code, environment variables, and other nix expressions. I have a Hydra server that runs on my desktop, so I have a few resources provisioned by NixOps. Using NixOS as an stateless workstation Posted on June 2, 2019 Last week 1 I changed back to an old 2 Samsung laptop, and installed NixOS on it.. After using NixOS on another laptop for around two years, I wanted verify how reproducible was my desktop environment, and how far does NixOS actually can go on recreating my whole OS from my configuration files and personal data. Each of these things builds on top of eachother to make the base platform that I built my desktop environment on. systemPackages = with pkgs. gnome-themes-extra: gnome3. NixOps can deploy to NixOS containers, so the Hydra instance is just another machine in the deployment. I have the configuration for my shell , emacs , my window manager and just about every program I use on a regular basis defined in their own NixOS modules so I can pick and choose things for new machines. NixOS is an independent Linux distribution developed by the NixOS Foundation based in The Netherlands. xfce // pkgs; [glib # for gsettings: gtk3. When installing NixOS, the default configuration.nix will probably have already filled-out some sane settings for the xserver. installing new extensions, changing the background image, changing the dock, etc. However, it comes with some caveats so keep reading if you are interested in making this duo work seamlessly. environment. Pro If you don’t want to use any desktop environment at all, you can opt for a window manager like OpenBox or i3 instead. Similar to APT and YUM, the Nix package manager makes sure that no package is broken during upgrades. The exception to items that must be configured using the configuration.nix file are settings that can be configured from within the desktop environment, for example, using KDE's "System Settings" control panel, although not all settings that can be configured with this tool in standard Linux distributions can be used in NixOS. You’ve got staples like Gnome, KDE, Budgie, and Xfce along with some more ‘exotic’ choices like Apricity or Enlightenment. NixOS started as a research project a few years ago and has grown into a functional operating system with a stiff learning curve for managing system services. It is called NixOS because it’s based on Nix, a purely functional package management system. These defaults allow users to log in to the system after a fresh install via a display manager before it throws you into the desktop environment. out # gtk-update-icon-cache: gnome3. Plus it is easy to install the desktop environment the wrong way, as there are multiple good and bad ways to install things in NixOS. When it comes to the available desktop environments, the selection is certainly quite impressive. Great for keeping a laptop and desktop in sync. E.g. NixOS can be configured to run any desktop environment you want and Gnome 3 is not an exception. 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