1. Introduction §

I like to tinker with systems, push their limits, see how to misuse them and have fun doing unusual setups.

However, since I mostly switched all my computers to NixOS, there is a statement that repeats again and again in my head: NixOS is boring

2. Is it good to be boring? §

The open question may want a different answer depending on the context. For an operating system, I think most people want a boring one which work, and doesn't require having to fight it ever.

In that ground, NixOS is extremely boring. It just works, when you don't want something anymore, remove it from its config, and it's gone. Auto upgrades are reliable, in case of a rare issue after an update, you can still easily rollback.

In two years running the unstable version, I may have had one major issue.

NixOS can be bent in many ways, but can still get its shape back once you are done. It's very annoying to me because it's so smooth I can't find anything to repair.

This is disappointing to me, because I used to have fun with my computers by breaking them, and then learning how to repair it, which often involve a various area of knowledge, but this just never happen with NixOS.

Most people will certainly enjoy something super reliable.

3. The Biggest issue encountered in NixOS §

Here is the story of the biggest problem I had when running NixOS. My disk was full, and I had to delete a few files to make some room, that's it. It wasn't very straightforward because it requires to know where to delete profiles to run the garbage collector manually, but nothing more serious ever happened.

4. Conclusion §

This blog post may look like an ode to NixOS, but I'm really disappointed. Actually, now I need to find something to do on my computer which is not in the list ["fix the operating system"].

I suppose someone enjoying mechanics may feel the same when using a top-notch electric bike with high grade components made to be reliable.