2023-03-13.md

Nixpkgs Architecture Team Meeting #32

• Past meeting notes
• Recording
• Matrix announcement
• Recorded and lead by: @infinisil
• Meeting notes by: @roberth
• Present members: @infinisil @roberth @Ericson2314

Notes

RFC 140

• Finding a shepherd proves hard. Co-authors are excluded by the rfc process. Ways forward, choice:
  • Sketchy: remove some authors. @roberth would be the(?) co-author. Defeats the RFC process.
  • Talk to the steering the committee for an exception
• @j-k is interested in this RFC
• @infinisil summarizes the RFC. questions:
  • @j-k: possible confusion around single character packages
    • @infinisil: rare edge case
• Going to change pkg-fun -> package
• Lots of positive reactions
• Inviting meeting guests to shepherd
  • @j-k: how does the implementation fit into this?
    • @infinisil: the RFC team is only concerned with the improving and accepting of the RFC
  • @j-k: what if they like it but there are concerns about performance? Can the RFC be accepted on e.g. the condition that performance is evaluated/improved?
    • @infinisil: performance has already been evaluated
• Generally bi-weekly meetings. There will be a shepherd leader. [I suppose details can be looked up]
  • @j-k: confirms that he intends to nominate himself. Doubts about exact responsibilities
    • It's a bit administrative lead role. [Not too complicated]
• The RFC is blocked on the RFC process for now.

Package modules workgroup

• @infinisil: We've made a start writing a problem description / discourse announcement for the module based packages idea

• @infinisil: Would like to resume this after the call

• @infinisil: Plan to work on the RFC in a repo (as in RFC 138)

• @j-k: interested in helping out

  • overlay style mkDerivation argument comes to mind
  • "matrix" parameters come to mind, e.g. source dependent on system

• @infinisil: We're going to explore and find out what we can do

• @roberth: How can Nixpkgs support DavHau's efforts as they are? Support other configuration systems. Better separation of concerns

• @infinisil: Recalls the team's commitment to focus on one thing at NixCon 2022. It helps to make a small step

RFC 140 tooling work

• @infinisil: Would like some help with nix-spp. Wanja is joining later today, 7 PM CET

• If you have time during the week, feel free to contribute.

Review mkDerivation __cleanAttrs

• @infinisil: What about third-party users of e.g. hello.buildInputs?
  • @roberth: Should get away from this at some point, we don't really know these values anyways
• @qyliss: .overrideAttrs still needs to work
  • @roberth: Does still work, attributes are stored internally
• @qyliss: Can you use .overrideAttrs to disable cleanAttrs?
  • @roberth: Yes :)
• @qyliss: Makes it easier to debug
• @Ericson2314: Interacts nicely with module-based packages, can't return to original args once called. Small step towards many good things (@roberth agrees)
  • @Adam: .overrideAttrs wouldn't work on module-created packages?
  • @Ericson2314: Yes (..?)
  • @Adam: I feel like there's always some cases that the module system can't cover
  • @roberth: There's extendModules
  • @Adam: Need to be able to do things like e.g. removing things with a predicate from cflags
  • @roberth: Will be possible, with mkForce and the old value that's already in lexical scope
  • @Ericson2314/infinisil: We always need to support the necessary use-cases
• @infinisil: Does .drvAttrs still work?
  • @roberth: .internal is the same as .drvAttrs
  • @infinisil: What about providing backwards-compat?
  • @Ericson2314: It's opt-in, you're choosing to break your consumers
  • @infinisil: No defined API to Nixpkgs, people might not know about it meaning to be internal
  • @Ericson2314: Forking road, we're deciding what is stable and what isn't
  • @infinisil: Keeping attributes and throwing a warning for a release would not be very expensive
  • @roberth: Could look into that, three-value variable, either false, true, or `"warn"
  • @infinisil: Can include link in the error message for getting more feedback
  • @roberth: We can figure out the final interface better like this

After the meeting time slot

• @qyliss: Rust fetching change don't have any stats yet, let's discuss next time
  • Space is similar to Haskell, probably
  • @infinisil: 10M Nixpkgs increase is for everyone
  • ... discussion of rust dependency management situation ...
  • @qyliss: We need dependency info in order to execute on security updates. Not something we can do in the current situation.

Action items

• document Team + Working groups change

• @infinisil will continue writing the tooling