[Nix-dev] Distributing unreleased software

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hello,

Eelco Dolstra <e.dolstra at tudelft.nl>
writes:

> Michael Raskin wrote:
>
>> Why use Nix if not for zero-risk trying out bleeding-edge stuff?
>
> Certainly Nix allows that, but the question is whether Nixpkgs, as a software
> distribution, should contain them.

I think the general guideline is that packagers should not consider
themselves as substitutes for upstream developers: if upstream thinks a
given revision of their software doesn’t warrant an official release,
then probably they have a good reason.

That said, as Michael notes, Nix makes it easy to try out new stuff.  In
such cases, I think the bleeding edge version should be available
separately, probably with ‘lowPrio’, such that “regular users” who don’t
want to take the risk of trying something unreleased don’t get hit.

What do you think?

Ludo’.