[Nix-dev] Popularizing Nixpkgs/Nix/NixOS among FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) developers

[Anderson Torres]

Hello, Nixers!

I was thinking on it some days ago. How about popularize NixOS among
FLOSS software developers?

It is very common among FLOSS developers to point out precompiled
packages or some similar facilities for the most famous operating
systems and distros, like Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora mirrors, Slackware
unofficial slackbuilds, AUR Archlinux, Gentoo overlays, the famous
*BSD freshports/pkgsrc...

Why not to contact some of them we are packaging and ask them to cite
us out? It would be a good idea in many sights:

- We would become more famous, which would attract more hackers to our projects;

- We would suggest bugfixes on various softwares, namely those full of
hackings on Nixpkgs. The Nixpkgs approach is a bit different from
those of other distros/OSes and it helps to find some obscure bugs,
mainly the lack of a serious dependency control and some tacit
assumptions (like ldconfig, absolute paths, undocumented features,
etc.);

- Our suggestions would be a valuable benefit from all other package
managers - after all, we are suggesting bugfixes on serious,
insidious, hard-to-find packaging bugs.

- We can serve as an indirect buildfarm for most of FLOSS world, with
our Hydra servers. Well, I don't know if our Hydra server is really
prepared for a so hard and huge task, but it would be even improved
by donations from great companies (we would be famous now, remember?
:D )


What about this, guys?