NixOS with GUI OS settings editor.
Posted by xnfra@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 37 comments
I truly believe an OS like Nix is the future of Linux desktop. The only missing major feature is a GUI config editor that can control all aspects of the operating system. It’s how Windows is truly defeated. A simple, predictable, configurable distribution with a singular adjustment interface for all major and minor settings in a GUI application. Thoughts?
abotelho-cbn@reddit
Write it.
MarzipanEven7336@reddit
Why it’s already a thing.
https://snowflakeos.org/
Unlucky-Message8866@reddit
thats a full fledged nixos distro, not a nix editor
MarzipanEven7336@reddit
It's all 100% NixOS.
KoholintCustoms@reddit
LOL is this a real OS? I thought this was a gag link due to the post.
Not mocking the project, just laughing at the coincidental project name combined with being posted here as a reply.
MarzipanEven7336@reddit
Yup, it actually is.
DHermit@reddit
We really need to stop telling everyone to write something themselves, that's not how we get people to use Linux. It should be a good thing if non-programmers are using Linux.
Sure, there are people who just angrily rant about a feature not existing, but people like OP who just calmly state a wish should absolutely be allowed to just do that.
This kind of user feedback is very valuable.
Unlucky-Message8866@reddit
nobody really cares if you use linux or not unless there's money to make (by selling support or other forms of addon value). the only thing actual open source maintainers care is active contributions and financial support to keep working on their goals (not yours).
raghukamath@reddit
Thanks for this response. This "Patches Welcome or write yourself" is what drives me (an artist who has no interest in learning programming more than what is required for me work) away from linux. People need to do their job in order to eat just like how developers would want to earn. We at the most can donate and help in reporting bugs. But even then since majority of FOSS is volunteer driven and inherently runs on the "scratch your own itch" if your use case does not interest any volunteer you as a user are doomed.
xnfra@reddit (OP)
It would be a massive undertaking. Every single possible thing you can incorporate in the configuration.nix / hardware-configuration.nix is steep; Not to mention Flakes and home-manager.
abotelho-cbn@reddit
Now you know why it doesn't exist.
MarzipanEven7336@reddit
https://snowflakeos.org/
xnfra@reddit (OP)
Without it, finding the state of backend applications and how they are configured is application specific across any number of configuration interfaces and files. Tracking config edits with something like git is one thing but I’m really impressed how different Nix is from most other Linux distributions and specifically how those backing programs are configured in the configuration.nix file.
lKrauzer@reddit
End of thread
MarzipanEven7336@reddit
https://snowflakeos.org/
lazyboy76@reddit
WRITE IT!
bubblegumpuma@reddit
let's recreate the windows registry from first principles
Unlucky-Message8866@reddit
both gnome and kde have similar things to the windows registry
bubblegumpuma@reddit
Yeah. XFCE does too (xfconf). Post was approximately half-serious
Unlucky-Message8866@reddit
nix is a programming language not a markup language, sure you can write a gui that edits static stuff but you are missing 99% of the features. also nixos is not meant for the average windows/mac user. the gui you are looking for is called "IDE".
kalzEOS@reddit
Going too far with your ambition there. Lol. I will never run NixOS. I don't hate it, I really appreciate it, but it is not for me. And many people feel the same way :)
thomas-rousseau@reddit
It's an interesting concept, but I'm not keen on the idea of breaking FHS
SteveHamlin1@reddit
YaST and Cockpit already do this.
QuickSilver010@reddit
Fully agreed. I once came up with a design for it but got skill issued by the insane requirements of translating a whole functional language into gui
0riginal-Syn@reddit
NixOS is a great system and concept. It is not what the average Windows user cares about. Most users take the standard layout and basic apps they get either pre-installed or heavily marketed for. The percentage of people who would care about this is pretty low. There is a reason why Fedora is making their push to Atomic as the default and Ubuntu is moving in the same direction. While personally I am not a user who prefers them, it is heavily geared to the average regular user.
mrandr01d@reddit
What's "atomic" mean in this context?
xnfra@reddit (OP)
That’s my point precisely. An atomic distribution with a configuration interface like Nix with a DM agnostic settings application able to control critical system parameters.
0riginal-Syn@reddit
NixOS is not really setup well, even with that, for a regular user. I teach Linux and deal a lot with your more average, non-technical users, and systems like NixOS are more power-user oriented, versus the more general user-oriented systems like Fedora and Ubuntu. Most people are not going to go into even a GUI for the parameters you are referring to. It is just not what they do. Most don't even go into settings on Windows, ever.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
kde already has something like that, gnome does too, of course they are not identical with each other which fine ill give you that. and please dont use windows settings/control panel as an example. thats a horrible mess. android and ios settings are better but android is still different from phone to phone manufacturer, and ios still has some settings in weird and unintuitive places (like stuff that should be in normal settings is in accessibility)
Hour_Bit_5183@reddit
Nah. Windows is defeating itself. Literally, for w/e reason. No one cares about customization except for maybe 10% of people. They want something that just works and the likes of fedora and pop os and the others already have this.
DHermit@reddit
Configuration isn't just about customisation, e.g. setting up your monitor configuration, keyboard layout etc.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
most Desktop enviroments on popular distros already have this though. KDE does for sure.
Hour_Bit_5183@reddit
oh I know :) but fedora and pop and mint and others do this perfectly out of the box. I was surprised with fedora. Handles my weird 3 display setup perfectly. I have a smaller 12 in touch screen one sitting below my main hi-res 16:10 monitor and another 16:10 vertical display next to that. It literally works better than windows ever did.
Oh why the small touch screen you might ask? Well it displays information and contextual stuff like extra keys not on my keyboard based on what I am working on and I configured it to work as it's own thing. Was impossible to do on microsucks and not that hard.
johncate73@reddit
It’s how Windows is truly defeated.
By trying to make it progressively more and more like Windows?
Windows will die a natural death. Enshittifying Linux to be more like Windows will just prolong its life.
DHermit@reddit
How is having a better configuration UI that doesn't take any other options away "enshittification"??
johncate73@reddit
It is when you go on to yammer about Android, iOS and the Windows control panel and want to cram it all into some singular interface.
Which, by the way, ALREADY EXISTS, and in a superior form than Windows, and has for years. Ever heard of Plasma?
kopsis@reddit
The Linux desktop you aspire for may never materialize -- and I'm ok with that. I personally don't care if none of the average Windows users ever migrate to Linux. Especially since the first thing they want to do is tell the Linux community how Linux must change. It's like Americans moving to Paris and insisting that France must build a lot more Starbucks if they want to beat the US.