[Nix-dev] Re: Reorganization of the nixpkg file hierarchy

[John Altobelli]

> Hi,
>
> John Altobelli <acocaracha at gmail.com>
> writes:
>
>> I feel this system is much easier to locate packages and more friendly
>> to new developers.
>
> Having never looked at Gentoo portage before I started contributing to
> Nixpkgs, I don't share this feeling.  ;-)
>
> Nixpkgs' layout is documented under
> `maintainers/docs/classification.txt' and is quite intuitive, except in
> some rare cases (e.g., the `misc' catch-all directories).  Having a
> single-level hierarchy as shown at http://gentoo-portage.com/Browse
> seems less convenient to me: why have, say, `app-emacs' and
> `app-editors' instead of `applications/editors' and
> `applications/editors/emacs'?

 After reviewing maintainers/docs/classification.txt it certainly seems
 incomplete to me.  For example there is no mention of os-specific and
 quite a few packages lie under that directory.

 I prefer the convenience of going to the pkgs directory and listing
 the directories and knowing exactly where a new project should go.
 Plus if I search for the project within the gentoo system, I should
 have a good idea where they put it.  Certainly some directories can be
 combined/removed because they don't pertain to nix, but if this
 structure is still desired that could be discussed in the future.

 Gentoo has a large number of contributors that only submit one or two
 packages into the system and I think that the file system hierarchy
 they have in place makes it much more comfortable for them to find
 where to start.

>
> Most importantly, regardless of one's preference for one classification
> or another, I think changing the classification would be a large change
> for little in return.

 Just for clarification, the "large change" would only be in the minds
 of the developers, since the coding is completely done.  I figured if
 I brought this up before I had the code in place people might get
 fixed up on how difficult it would be to fix every import and
 selectVersion throughout the system, but that's already done.  Now it
 just needs to be judged as an improvement or not.

 Ludo, thanks for your comments, I just ask that you checkout the git
 repos and pick a couple random packages to see if you can find them
 easily within the system (without cheating - all-packages.nix).  I
 can't imagine a project that couldn't be found within two or three
 directories, especially when you get used to the system.  (Possibly
 skip editors since they seem to be too split up - but that can be
 fixed later).

>
> Thanks,
> Ludo'.
>
> _______________________________________________
> nix-dev mailing list
> nix-dev at cs.uu.nl
> https://mail.cs.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/nix-dev
>