this post was submitted on 16 Oct 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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The way I can dumb it down the most without being too wrong...
With most other distros (imperative) things are installed and configured in a way where you have to follow the recipe with all the steps to get to the end result - run installers, or do things manually or write/run scripts, tweak config files, etc.
The Nix/NixOS way is declarative, more akin to an ingredient list, a description of what your system should look like. Nix takes care of doing the legwork. The same config should always build the same system.
My ELI5 way of understanding it is:
With Nix you write a checklist and it just does what you tell it to, settings, drivers, packages, apps, etc.
Other distros are like doing all the things yourself. You'll never do it exactly the same twice.
I've read that a lot and I always think I understand it until it's time to put it into practice
Declarative vs. imperative does require a large paradigm shift for sure. I've used some of these provisioning tools before, but I'm still very much a noob with NixOS. They go further than what I said, they have their own abstractions on top.