linux OSes should not let you install packages via the command line; you should be required to add them to a syntax-checked file and then run a command to ensure system installed packages match the file.
@sneak something like Gemfile.lock in Ruby poetry.lock in python but for system packages?
@sneak @raboof I am not. I just install new packages incrementally. It’s not very hard to add a new line here https://github.com/unclechu/nixos-config/blob/66cdfa5bc29ff252f4b63fd5a204683435599246/my-packages.nix#L149 and call “sudo nixos-rebuild switch” and commit+push the changes. Once you fill this list enough it happens pretty rare.
@unclechu @raboof yes that is precisely what i do now, and what this thread is about. it's also possible to add system packages without touching configuration.nix via `nix-env -i <pkg>` which then causes overlaps with the packages in configuration.nix, requiring an uninstall `nix-env --uninstall <pkg>` before `nixos-rebuild switch` will work.
@sneak so, nixOS?
@chillja nixos lets you nix-env -i without touching configuration.nix
@sneak fair point.