Nix package

[XHawk87]

I haven't really tried Nix yet myself, but after reading this discussion I wondered if it would be useful here: https://discourse.nixos.org/t/is-there-much-difference-between-using-nix-shell-and-docker-for-local-development/807

It sounds like it could eliminate a lot of bug reports you get from people saying it doesn't work on their machine. Better than docker, or docker alone.

[Technetium1]

That doesn't usually come without some added maintenance burden itself even in the best circumstances unfortunately. It is technically possible, but do the benefits outweigh the cost? Will that ultimately lead to fewer contributions from the increased difficulty floor? What about more difficulty with prerequisites, since Nix isn't always easy to install?

[XHawk87]

As I say, I am not that familiar with Nix, so I am trying to understand. Some things just aren't adding up for me. I see other projects adding nix support, complex projects with lots of contributions, and most of the maintainers aren't even aware it's on Nix. 2 years and the file sits there without needing any changes with the CI checks passing quietly in the background. Can you explain why this project in particular would be different? Is maintaining a Nix file really that different to a Dockerfile?