
GNU Guix 1.0.1 Released - ymse
https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/blog/2019/gnu-guix-1.0.1-released/
======
daniel_iversen
Without a lot of thought or research I have no idea what Guix is! Even the
website -
[https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/](https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/) \-
offers the reader no real clue about what it is.. Is it a unix distribution,
linux distribution, graphics environment, window manager, ux app development
framework - who knows! :-) ... please everyone remember to write decent copy
for your projects - you have to market open source too.

~~~
cstrahan
At the very top of that page:

> Guix is an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system developed by
> the GNU Project—which respects the freedom of computer users.

On the about page:

> The GNU Guix package and system manager is a free software project developed
> by volunteers around the world under the umbrella of the GNU Project.

>

> Guix System is an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system. It uses
> the Linux-libre kernel, and support for the Hurd is being worked on. As a
> GNU distribution, it is committed to respecting and enhancing the freedom of
> its users. As such, it adheres to the GNU Free System Distribution
> Guidelines.

So "Guix" is short for "Guix System", which is a distribution of linux.
There's also the "Guix package manager".

Honest question: what part of the above portions of copy fail to convey what
Guix is?

~~~
jrumbut
I think there is a lot unclear there, or left to be desired.

For instance does advanced mean for advanced users, beginners need not apply,
or that it is in advance of a real release and is sort of an alpha?

I have a macbook, can I run Guix on there? Or is this part of GNU Hurd
(something that I heard about on /. 15 years ago)? What is a cool thing I can
do with Guix, besides have my freedom respected? Do apt or Homebrew not
respect that freedom?

I would love someone to break Guix down for me or point me to the best
description because there are tantalizing hints of a cool thing but I never
get a totally clear picture.

~~~
eridius
I haven't researched Guix specifically, but if you want a package manager for
macOS with these features, Nix definitely supports macOS (Nix is the
inspiration for Guix). Even if Guix is supported on macOS, I'm not sure
offhand if there's any compelling reason to use Guix over Nix.

As near as I can tell, the only reason Guix even exists is because the authors
don't like that Nix has a custom language and prefer Guile Scheme instead.

Nix: [https://nixos.org/nix/](https://nixos.org/nix/)

~~~
solarkraft
Could the down voters explain their votes?

------
instantwhat
Those release notes are some of the best written I've ever seen. Clear,
concise, comprehensive. Gives a lot of confidence in the project going
forward. Nice work.

------
i_feel_great
Can someone please explain what replaces systemd in Guix?

~~~
nextos
Shepherd (not to be confused with Hurd). It's implemented in Guile Scheme too.
See here:
[https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/en/html_node/Servic...](https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/en/html_node/Services.html)

------
tomcam
Wait, isn’t this a significant milestone? If I understand correctly GNU was
formed originally to get an operating system out and this is their 1.0
release, something like 30 years later? I’m a capitalist, man of the right,
and not a fan of RMS the public person but he’s been true to his principles
and has changed the world. Congratulations, GNU team!

Also, it appears to be natively scriptable in Scheme, a Lisp variant. Pretty
fun.

Hope champagne corks are popping in the GNU world.

~~~
copperx
> I’m a capitalist, man of the right

What does that mean, related to computing?

~~~
ChristianBundy
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-
wing_politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics)

~~~
geekone
What does it mean in the context of computing though?

~~~
nicklaf
It means he's not a fan of the GNU philosophy:
[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-
impor...](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-
important.html)

