forked from lix-project/lix
ca4d8ce9e2
The manual uses `nix-env -i` without `-A` prominently, teaching a bad practice to newcomers.
100 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
100 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
# Quick Start
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This chapter is for impatient people who don't like reading
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documentation. For more in-depth information you are kindly referred
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to subsequent chapters.
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1. Install single-user Nix by running the following:
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```console
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$ bash <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install)
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```
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This will install Nix in `/nix`. The install script will create
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`/nix` using `sudo`, so make sure you have sufficient rights. (For
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other installation methods, see
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[here](installation/installation.md).)
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1. See what installable packages are currently available in the
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channel:
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```console
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$ nix-env -qaP
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nixpkgs.docbook_xml_dtd_43 docbook-xml-4.3
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nixpkgs.docbook_xml_dtd_45 docbook-xml-4.5
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nixpkgs.firefox firefox-33.0.2
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nixpkgs.hello hello-2.9
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nixpkgs.libxslt libxslt-1.1.28
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…
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```
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1. Install some packages from the channel:
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```console
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$ nix-env -iA nixpkgs.hello
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```
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This should download pre-built packages; it should not build them
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locally (if it does, something went wrong).
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1. Test that they work:
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```console
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$ which hello
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/home/eelco/.nix-profile/bin/hello
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$ hello
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Hello, world!
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```
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1. Uninstall a package:
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```console
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$ nix-env -e hello
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```
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1. You can also test a package without installing it:
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```console
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$ nix-shell -p hello
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```
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This builds or downloads GNU Hello and its dependencies, then drops
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you into a Bash shell where the `hello` command is present, all
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without affecting your normal environment:
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```console
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[nix-shell:~]$ hello
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Hello, world!
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[nix-shell:~]$ exit
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$ hello
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hello: command not found
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```
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1. To keep up-to-date with the channel, do:
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```console
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$ nix-channel --update nixpkgs
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$ nix-env -u '*'
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```
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The latter command will upgrade each installed package for which
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there is a “newer” version (as determined by comparing the version
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numbers).
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1. If you're unhappy with the result of a `nix-env` action (e.g., an
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upgraded package turned out not to work properly), you can go back:
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```console
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$ nix-env --rollback
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```
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1. You should periodically run the Nix garbage collector to get rid of
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unused packages, since uninstalls or upgrades don't actually delete
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them:
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```console
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$ nix-collect-garbage -d
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```
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