this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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In the case of NixOS at least, 'immutable' doesn't mean you can't change the system at all.
It just means you cannot change the currently installed set of packages and services (generation in NixOS parlance); all you can do is create new ones and delete old ones.
Basically every update might as well be a complete reinstall of
/usr,/etcand whatnot if you compare it to traditional distros.If you can't change etc, how do you configure your software?
By having the right configuration file there as part of the package's options, like:
globalProgram.doFoo = true;or something likeglobalProgram.extraConfig = "barCount=4567";Are those changes system-wide or stored in user space? Where are those files stored?
It's system-wide (unless home-manager is involved).
They're a part of the immutable install, whose components reside in
/nix/storeand are symlinked to/etc.Example from my computer: