# The future of software is Nix: the vision of Determinate, and our effort to unabashedly evolve the Nix ecosystem

**URL:** https://discourse.nixos.org/t/the-future-of-software-is-nix-the-vision-of-determinate-and-our-effort-to-unabashedly-evolve-the-nix-ecosystem/54938
**Category:** Links
**Created:** [October 25, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/the-future-of-software-is-nix-the-vision-of-determinate-and-our-effort-to-unabashedly-evolve-the-nix-ecosystem/54938 "2024-10-25T17:05:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 18

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### Author: ![Anomalocaris](https://discourse.nixos.org/user_avatar/discourse.nixos.org/anomalocaris/32/9323_2.png) [@Anomalocaris](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Anomalocaris)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/the-future-of-software-is-nix-the-vision-of-determinate-and-our-effort-to-unabashedly-evolve-the-nix-ecosystem/54938/18 "2024-10-27T19:34:07Z")

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> [@Paxos](#):
>
> I wish this Community could embrace that it is a vibrant growing ecosystem, and that an efflorescence in one part of the garden is not a cynical bid to cast shade on another part of the garden

> [@numinit](#):
>
> I’d really like us to get beyond the cynical kind of zero-sum thinking that involves throwing shade.

> [@numinit](#):
>
> The future is incredibly bright in multiple parts of the garden, and one party does not need to lose for another to win.

The issue isn’t zero-sum thinking, the issue is a company that has already demonstrated to be willing to use [deception](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/announcing-determinate-nix/54709/80), [sabotage](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/announcing-determinate-nix/54709/11), and predatory tactics like creating proprietary products like FlakeHub and Determinate Nix to lock in potential users to ensure profits. It’s not an “efflorescence in a part of the garden,” it’s [kudzu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu) crowding out everything else in the garden. Regardless if it’s zero-sum, there’s still plenty to lose.

> [@numinit](#):
>
> Nix is an incredible technology that is disruptive in a number of positive ways.

Speaking of ways of thinking we need to get beyond, I really do not like when the focus of something is on how “disruptive” it is. To my understanding, that’s focusing purely on the potential for profit rather than actual usefulness or helpfulness. “Disruptive” seems to essentially be a marketing buzzword that boils down to “this is dramatically different from anything else out there and whoever is selling it is in the perfect opportunity to extract maximum profit from it and shape the market in their favor going forward.” That is the kind of thinking that drives companies like DetSys to come in and crowd out everything else in the garden, so to speak.

Edit: I should not have said the immediate above things. Whether I was aware at the time or not, I was taking my frustrations out on a stranger on a public forum. I have marked it as a spoiler to mark that I sincerely wish to retract what I have said.

> [@xte](#):
>
> With no intention to be rude but… The future of distros it’s clearly declarative, so something to makes that possible on “upstream” side is needed. Nix{,OS} is the inventor (I think) but seen the actual fragmentation state I’m not so much optimistic about it’s future…

FWIW, I do not think you are being rude.

I agree that the future of Linux distros is declarative configuration, but I think what you are referring to as “fragmentation” is a good thing. I think the proliferation of **open-source** forks and alternative implementations like [Lix](https://lix.systems/), [Tvix](https://tvix.dev/), and the [Aux community](https://auxolotl.org/en/)’s efforts to make an alternative to nixpkgs allows people outside of Nix’s dev team and DetSys to experiment with new ideas. If nothing else, it adds a potential check to prevent a single entity, non-profit or otherwise, from having complete dominance over the Nix ecosystem and the potential for stagnation that comes with it.

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