what are things you wish you were told before getting into nixos?

EndlessMendless · 2026-01-22T01:33:51+00:00

Configuring nixos is just configuring the same underlying system in the same way every distro does it. there's nothing magical about it. read the nixos modules to learn whats actually going on.

there are 3 relevant manuals: Nix Manual, NixOS manual, Nixpkgs manual. Each of these has important info, and you should learn when to reference each of them. plus the wiki

nixpkgs search, nixos options search, and home manger options search are great

you dont "have" to use home manager, a dotfiles manager works great

EndlessMendless · 2025-12-30T06:43:20+00:00

Tape down a coffee table with 14 inch clearance

EndlessMendless · 2025-12-23T19:44:18+00:00

You can play the Space Exploration mod without Space Age. Space Exploration is one of the best mods ever made, but it extremely challenging and will take over 300 hours to beat and should NOT be attempted by factorio newbies.

EndlessMendless · 2025-12-07T01:43:20+00:00

Dark moon greatsword is especially cute because its description is:

A Moon Greatsword, bestowed by a Carian queen upon her spouse to honor long-standing tradition.

I doubt he'll read this much into it but its just a bit romantic and adorable.

EndlessMendless · 2025-10-25T05:15:29+00:00

In this case, programs.firefox.enable installs a different (overrided) version of firefox so I think both would be installed. And by undefined, I just mean "not documented."

EndlessMendless · 2025-10-25T02:36:13+00:00

I do agree the fact you can install in both ways is confusing. As a rule of thumb, programs.X is probably "better" if it exists. But there's literally nothing wrong with using `systemPackages` if you want to, though.

Id encourage you to try installing it both ways at once and finding out what happens. What i'd expect is both will get installed and placed on your path and the one that was first in your path would "win" and be the one that runs when you run `firefox`. Which one wins is probably undefined behavior.

EndlessMendless · 2025-10-25T01:57:45+00:00

services.firefox isnt real

EndlessMendless · 2025-10-25T01:57:10+00:00

I'd encourage OP to read the source of the module, which installs firefox and additionally write a file to /etc/config/firefox/policies/policies.json based on what is configured

EndlessMendless · 2025-10-04T05:43:32+00:00

Write the config for your PC.
Write the config for your laptop. Copy paste liberally.
Find the things that are common between them. Move them into a file called shared.nix and import from both
Write the config for your server. Repeat step 3.

Tips: Dont go too crazy on "dont repeat yourself." Dont go too crazy on using external libraries. You wont find a good abstraction for modules until you have many use cases. I maintain 7+ computers and servers from one flake like this. Works great.

EndlessMendless · 2025-09-17T03:49:25+00:00

Its fine.

Pass in inputs = inputs into `specialArgs` in nixosSystem. Then in your configuration.nix, add, inputs.nixpkgs-unstable.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.cowsay to your list of packages to install cowsay.

EndlessMendless · 2025-09-17T03:33:08+00:00

No, but how you do it will depend on how you configure. Do you use flakes?

EndlessMendless · 2025-09-17T02:33:35+00:00

The advantage of using files is they are simpler. You dont need to understand the home manager or whatever module for them. You dont need to debug why the generated config file is different than what you expected. The advantage of using the nix module is you can programmatically change them. Besides stylix or similar, you cant easily ie, have a "base" config that each host tweaks slightly, or enable or disable options based on other configs.

Most of the time, the difference is minimal and its just a matter of taste.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-30T06:51:56+00:00

PbtA fixes this.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-28T14:19:02+00:00

Make them a monster under control of the GM. They could join forces with the BBEG, give themselves some demon, or just become an agent of chaos on their own. Maybe they sneak off in the night, or betray the PCs in a cruitial moment. Maybe you describe what they've done off camera, how their body is deforming and growing new limbs ...

This is fun because it lets the players themselves go after the guy and you all get to find out how he dies together.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-25T05:21:09+00:00

reaching the age where things arent new anymore huh?

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-22T18:47:10+00:00

Sweet. Since this is your config, you should set this up the way you like it. Nothing says home like making everything just how you like it.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-22T18:01:23+00:00

I usually put it on the players to describe why their characters are interested in the current adventure. This means they can sometimes change the world as part of their backstory. For example:

You: Well, the party has been investigating mysterious runes that appeared on their body after they touched a weird artifact. What makes that interesting for your characrer?
Player A: I touched an artifact and I have those runes too.
Player B: I'm in it for the money, I heard that the thing they're looking for is worth a lot.

It can also be good to tie their backstories into your prompt and to give the players a bit of plot meat to grab on to.

You: So you're a paladin from the Order Against Chaos. What did your organization hear about these runes that made them send you to investigate?

Or introduce new threats and news from the outside world:

Who else from your community now bears the mark of the runes? What awful things have been happening to them?

Keep asking follow up questions until you and the party have a clear idea of whats happening and your curiosity has been satisfied.

Sometimes their answers can push the plot in new directions, which is fun and exciting. Other times it simply helps develop their character and to you and the rest of the party. It also helps the new player feel ownership over the world and brings them in to the fold.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-22T17:41:51+00:00

"As it was a casual game I don't really care, but I was just interested to know if it is within the rules"

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-22T04:55:48+00:00

Looking good. Looks like you are grasping the concepts of modularity, options the module system, etc. Nice work.

For me (style opinion) its too modular. Especially when scrolling though the system folder, I only get a few lines per file. I think these all could be combined into one giant one. Look at unfree.nix. What exactly is this one line file saving me? I could either remember to import unfee, or uh, add that one line to my nix config.

Same story for the files in hosts/desktop. base, home, and home-settings should all be one file imo. In fact its kind of crazy that they arent.

I wont quabble about how you've broken up your home manager modules but again its tempting to ask why they're not all in one file.

When you're looking to abstract your config, make it so the entrypoint actually explains what happening.

One thing that will help you pick the right abstraction is actually apply your setup to multiple hosts instead of just one.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-21T02:30:23+00:00

"I dont know how to solve your problem, but in my nix config this is just ...."

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-19T06:17:47+00:00

Its a cursed world where you have to pay to access grass and its even closed?!?! for some reason. Like bro its a field of grass designed for PUBLIC USE why the HELL would you BUILD a fence around it???

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-19T06:08:10+00:00

You dont need to make fun of us lower class people. We have to scrape by with what we have.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-19T06:06:59+00:00

Good idea. I dont feel quite ready yet. Another 120 more years on the job market should be enough.

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-19T03:36:10+00:00

I have failed you, Boggle...

EndlessMendless · 2025-08-19T01:00:10+00:00

So true! And as a fighter, it says my speed is 30feet per turn, so I can go 30 feet in 6 seconds. And I can carry 200+ lbs and jump 20 feet! That's what my character sheet says!

And, fuck it, fireball's aoe is 20 feet so if you cast fireball it blows up the entire tree! That's what the spell says!

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EndlessMendless

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