[Nix-dev] Non-root packaging system + stdenvNative and replace-literal

[Eelco Dolstra]

Hi,

On 02/22/2011 02:21 PM, Dag Sverre Seljebotn wrote:

> I'm currently looking into using nix to manage scientific
> libraries. I'd like a non-root package management system in order to
> use the same package system on my laptop and our cluster (without
> pestering cluster administrators daily). Nix appears to be a very nice
> foundation to build on for distributing scientific libraries
> (reproducability etc.)

Sounds cool!

> For that purpose, while having the option of building the entire
> tool-chain (binutils, gcc, ...) is certainly nice, it'd be great if a
> lighter approach was more easily available.

Indeed for this stdenvNative is the way to go.

> I've been hacking around in that direction but need some assistance to
> get going. First thing I tried was to play with patching
> pkgs/stdenv/default.nix so that stdenv=stdenvNative or stdenvNix,

Yes, that should work, assuming you mean changing this line:

  if stdenvType == "i686-linux" then stdenvLinux else

to

  if stdenvType == "i686-linux" then stdenvNative else

(or the same for x86_64-linux.)

> however I get
> 
> /home/dagss/nix/store/fhi1l63zy9fal45mybxri4f6glk4v8qs-stdenv-native/setup:
> line 358: replace-literal: command not found

Hm, what exactly are you doing?  stdenvNative should build the replace-literal
command as part of its bootstrap (since it's the only command in stdenv that's
not usually installed in the native system).

-- 
Eelco Dolstra | http://www.st.ewi.tudelft.nl/~dolstra/