Managing Multiple Nix Instances

[niksingh710]

The current issue is that multiple sources provide and manage their own Nix packages:

• NixOS manages its own Nix package.
• nix-darwin installs its own Nix package.
• There is also the general method of installing Nix through the official Nix guide.
• DetSys installs Nix as well.

It is up to the user to decide which method they use to install Nix on their system before utilizing this repository. Ideally, nix-dev-home should provide a standardized approach for installing Nix that accommodates all these scenarios.

The discussion in issue #77 arose because DetSys introduced configuration variables that are only compatible with newer Nix versions. To address this, users either need root access to update Nix or nix-dev-home must ensure it uses the latest Nix version.

For now, the issue can be temporarily resolved by using the latest Nix version or by creating a shell alias, such as home.shellAliases.dnix = pkgs.lix, and using the alias. However, as the number of Nix providers increases, a consistent and robust solution is necessary to avoid such conflicts in the future.

[srid]

sudo -i nix-env --uninstall nix will uninstall the DetSys Nix.

nixos-flake's macOS template is advised to be used that way:

https://community.flake.parts/nixos-flake/templates#after-initializing-the-template

srid/nixos-unified#67