SnowflakeOS - Creating a GUI focused NixOS-based distro

[Sandro]

@iopq

Maybe there needs to be a wiki for troubleshooting issues people run into

https://nixos.wiki ?

[iopq]

Is this the place to discuss different CPU governors?

[shmu26]

I didn’t yet install NixOS, and a GUI-oriented flavor sounds just like what I am looking for. What would be the best way to get started?

[Lord-Valen]

I would hesitate to call this a distro. In spirit, it is more of a flavour.

[pxc]

NixOS is a meta-distribution, like Gentoo. It doesn’t have a default software environment or desktop experience or anything like that.

So maybe we can consider SnowflakeOS a distribution of NixOS that tries to fill in some of those ‘defaults gaps’ as well as providing supplementary tooling.

[Raikiri]

I don’t think that going separate distribution is the right way. I get the argument that one can’t expect the new user to be able to bootstrap a configuration program into the config that it’s supposed to manage, but I also think there’s much more practical ways of achieving the same goal. For example, the program can exist as a regular package for a while during initial development phases, then it can be distributed as a flatpack to be actually used by new users once it’s practically viable, and then once it gets enough traction it should just become included into every NixOS distribution.

[tripleo]

@vlinkz

I’ve been considering writing a new installer with the ability to import configurations, that way if users see a configuration they like, they could just pass it into the installer. I think that could reduce the need for a large amount of “distros” and instead make sharing configurations easier.

Yes, this, I believe would be valuable.

[iopq]

I actually installed this, I think it should have home manager with a UI

[Actarus25]

Great idea. Nix solves a lot of package management problems in Linux. Something lacking is a graphical interface to make it usable. SnowflakeOS seams to fill that gap. It has a lot of potential, and could be one of the most promising linux projects.

[tapirawa]

I wish to use SnowflakeOS, when is going to be ready?

[psionik]

There’s something more deep in this question. The concept of a distro got very out of whack when variant distros began popping up. This lead to a lot of inefficiency across all of Linux. Communicating with so many users, communicating to an entire culture, is a monumental task. Sometimes I learn how far deep in the weeds I am when DistroTube guy says everyone is 80% Ubuntu and 20% Arch btw lol.