[Nix-dev] Nix as OS for normal program development

[Lluís Batlle]

Hello,

I work as a developer, and before using nix my usual workflow was:
- Install all the libraries I needed in my machine
- Checkout the software I have to develop from the repository
- Use cmake and its modules to find libraries, as a build system.
- I iteratively edit code, "make" and test the programs.

I use nix now, in some places nixos, and by now I have only tried to
adapt my system to allow the old workflow:
- I install all the libraries I need into my profile (lots of symlinks
into the profile, around 21000 by now)
- Instead of calling only cmake, I use (in short) something like
"cmake -D CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH=$HOME/.nix-profile"

I've noticed that using "make install" after cmake, I get things like:
-- Installing: /home/viric/..../bin/tdisp
-- Removed runtime path from "/home/viric/..../bin/tdisp"

(as another topic, Is that runtime path thing a cmake 'feature'? Maybe
we should patch cmake against that?)

So, in short, I don't like the working flow I have in nix. What do you
suggest? Can you advise something like that? I need to work in a nixos
system, and in a debian with nix.

Regards,
Lluís.