Thanks, I was not aware of that. Indeed it’s a separate package, present in my system, but nix-env says it’s not installed.
$ nix-env -qasP nix-info
-PS nixpkgs.nix-info nix-info
Further investigation shows that it’s included in the system $PATH.
$ which nix-info
/run/current-system/sw/bin/nix-info
$echo $PATH
/Users/bob/.nix-profile/bin:/nix/var/nix/profiles/default/bin:/Users/bob/.nix-profile/bin:/run/current-system/sw/bin:/nix/var/nix/profiles/default/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin
I guess this was a side effect of installing nix-darwin. Nevertheless, it’s strange that nix-env does not recognise nix-info as installed.
It’s true that nix-command and flakes are experimental features and still evolving, yet they seem mature enough and able to lower the entry barrier for novice users. Maybe it’s the right moment to polish the new user’s experience.
The scope of my efforts is focused on macOS with nix, nix-darwin, and home-manager. I hope to identify what works, what does not, and to provide a safe path and guidance especially for non-technical users.