Hi all,
I’ve looked at issues like https://github.com/NixOS/nix/pull/4289 and macOS Catalina install fails on insufficient permissions to create volume · Issue #5198 · NixOS/nix · GitHub
It seems like there may be a newer installer for macOS to use.
I am currently having some issues from switching between single user and multi-user modes and I’m trying to figure out the best way to reinstall nix if it’s not to use the installer specified on the main website.
I am on a T2 MBP with macOS 11.6
Update on this: I’ve just used the normal installer for now. Using the installers in the various issues did not work and they did not actually report the error that happened.
I presume it had something to do with whatever happens right after creating the build users, but it didn’t actually log what went wrong.
In my recent install, I used GitHub - nix-community/nix-unstable-installer: A place to host Nix unstable releases [maintainer=@lilyinstarlight] which worked flawlessly.
It’s probably worth distinguishing here between, like, the recommended installer, and an installer some individuals might privately recommend.
I suppose many individuals can recommend an unofficial installer built from an unreleased Nix commit, but I wouldn’t want Nix newbies thinking such a thing is the recommended installer for them.
FWIW, the official installer is still generally fine for first installs on ~stock systems (I have personally tested successful single and multi-user installs using the Monterey beta on an Intel macbook in the past 24h).
I might be forgetting something, but IIRC most of the ~recent pain has been around reinstalls, macOS updates overwriting people’s /etc/(bash|zsh)rc files and tricking them into trying to reinstall rather than debug, and install problems with macOS running in VMs and/or in the cloud.
Aside: if anyone reading finds the state of the installer embarrassing, I think there’s a well-defined project that can help put Nix on a path to better install experiences in the near future: