Context
In recent years, I’ve reflected on Nixpkgs’ sustainability and contributed where I can. About 1.5 years ago, the first governance crisis in NixOS exposed deep misalignments. I advocated for a hard choice: remove the troublemakers and move forward. Unfortunately, the SC has made little progress on the core issues. Despite private warnings to SC members, my pessimism has proven justified.
I’m speaking up now because I see many of the same dynamics I experienced: advocating for the project while facing inertia from those who only hold meetings. The situation feels eerily similar to the last constitutional crisis.
Dire state of the project
Many of the same individuals behind the NCA/SC are still entrenched in power, whether in the SC, the board, or adjacent spaces. While there have been some improvements, the promised fundamental change has not arrived. Nixpkgs is still unsustainable for contributors and people keep burning out, maintenance is increasingly problematic.
Instead, we have seen endless PR linting comments, CI degradation following Equinix Metal’s loss, and growing reliance on proprietary services. These issues were mostly solved by Nixpkgs developers themselves, without any particular help from governance structures.
The NCA/SC effort was misguided. The solution was always simpler, requiring less emotional engagement. The core problem is that the governance structure continues to select individuals who are disconnected from Nixpkgs’ daily operations. They fail to understand the real issues, and their decisions are undermining Nixpkgs’ future. Those who actually build Nixpkgs should be the ones making the decisions.
Moreover, those advocating for change are often slandered and dismissed as irrelevant. This perception, fueled by the current governance structure, undermines the value of contributors and Nixpkgs itself. The gap between governance and those doing the actual work is growing, and it’s clear that this is leading to frustration and disillusionment.
What is worse, Nixpkgs is now looking like a joke because of the inability of those in power. The ones who have failed to act or take responsibility are the very ones who will never face the consequences for their inaction. The contributors, those who are actually doing the work for free, are the ones losing out the most. They are the ones shouldering the real cost of this dysfunction, but there is no accountability. No one is taking responsibility for the damage that’s been done, and the failure to address this damage just continues.
What to do?
So, we need to ask: Is it time to create something new? A structure that aligns with the community’s needs from the start, instead of patching up a broken system?
I made a pledge to this community, and I take it seriously.
We don’t need more broken systems that fail to deliver real change. Even those I disagree with have valid points, but as a collective, we want to focus on building and creating, not on politics. Our true values lie elsewhere.
It’s a disservice to our craft when we’re forced to waste time navigating outdated systems. These systems drain our energy and burn out our talent. We deserve better.
Let’s not wait until we’re completely exhausted. We need a space to discuss real alternatives, one that respects our skills, passions, and ambitions, rather than feeding into frustration and powerlessness.
We must move beyond a community that confused growth with success and failed to evolve with its own needs.
For those who value the SC’s processes, I respect your place in that framework. But for me, I’m no longer interested in participating in this façade.
Let’s end the drama and constitutional issues, for everyone’s sake.
If you’re ready to collaborate and build something better, feel free to DM me.
Thank you to everyone who already DMed me from the previous post, I hope I will be able to create a space where we can start organizing.
This is a focused repost of The dire state of the SC - #9 by RaitoBezarius as this thread was closed, and I would rather discuss with fellow folks who are interested in this idea than discuss the miserable state of these power structures. So, please, if you comment, keep it ontopic.
