Nix UI

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Goal: make Nix more approachable for existing Linux users

Non-goal: make Nix user-friendly

Idea: Provide a UX for creating "profile" and "user" .nix files that can be aggregated into "machine" configs. Streamline sharing of profiles, "backing up" your profiles, and "restoring" your profiles. Support NixOS, Nix, and other possible places where nix can be used (like Docker). Possibly also support basic machine setup for NixOS (like partitioning)

Requirements

• Can read basic human-edited files
• Have an extension point for things we don't support reading / writing
• Integrate with nixos-hardware
• Search for any setting in your git repo ("is this already set in a different profile?") including the possible paths to it (since at least nixos-hardware is hierarchical).
• Filter settings based on non-default, suggested for type of profile, basic/advanced
• Diff with shared profiles
• Cross-platform (at least for nixpkg support, maybe not for installation support)

Nice-to-haves

• Format preserving
• Nix IDE with package / setting auto-complete / tooltips
• Help people with secrets management

Out-of-scope

• Can do everything

Implementation thoughts

• Use web technologies for UX for cross-platform support
• Use rust as the backend language with the Legion ECS for data since it more easily integrates with scripting languages.

Resources

• Usability of NixOS as a daily driver
• Nix's very own graphical UI
  • github
• Should Nix have a GUI?
• Nix GUI? / make Nix more beginner-friendly
• nixos-installer
• rust nix parser and associated discussion
• User-friendly nix with link to graphical installer RFC

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UX: System administration

• Tab: Generations
  • Shows generations. Offer delete, revert, and diff
  • Offer GC button
• Tab: Channels
  • Show list of channels and their alias
  • Allow adding a channel. Populate the alias
  • When adding channel, use an editable combo box so people can select from standard channeks
  • Each channel has a check box for Update with a "check all"
  • By default, new channels are checked
  • When deleting a channel, strike it through until settings applied
  • Allow editing of alias
• Tab: View configuration.nix or nix-home
  • configuration.nix: Allow updating of hardware
  • Control state version
  • Control associated git repo
  • Select file within git repo
• "Account" selector: change between nix-home for different users, NixOS, and Install NixOS

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See https://www.reddit.com/r/NixOS/comments/eytt49/web_ui_for_nixos_nixops/

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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28817477