Re: Deliver important Guix changes to users, please

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hello,

address@hidden skribis:

> I think it will be the best to have some layer of informative support for 
> updates. Like this:
>
> $ guix system --updates-available
> Commit: 1 [two days ago]
> Changes: some services are available now
>
> Commit: 2
> Changes: [red]Switch to GDM in %desktop-services. If your config is using 
> %desktop-services, you need to check manual pages.[/red]
>
> Commit: 3 (latest)
> Changes: gc clear-generations added
> $ guix package --updates-available=1week
> 90 new packages added.
> 15 packages updated.
> New packages:
> emacs-evil-lio, llgpl-license, ...
> Changed package:
> emacs 26.1 => 26.2
> ...
> That will give some knowledge that your cool config might be wrong after 
> update to the latest commit, where dm was switched to gdm.
>
> I think news should be divided to
> - 'packages news' defining the period,
> - and 'system news', the default period is from your last `guix system 
> reconfigure config.scm` or may be your last generation's date till now,
>
> And sure news should be available from guix command.
>
> There are tools for update guix from substitute servers: local or Internet. 
> There is much info in cgit logs on gnu server... Want to read more with guix.
>
> Would this kind of messages help people to bypass troubles in convenient way?

‘guix pull’ already provides high-level “package news”, but I agree it’d
be nice to have a way to convey “system news” and perhaps free-form
messages like Debian’s change logs.

I suppose we could use some specially-formatted Git commits to pass
messages to users.  I’m afraid it would be hard to get those messages
translated.

Thoughts?

Note that the GDM change could also have been addressed by fixing
‘modify-services’ to report about unmatched service types, for example.

Thanks,
Ludo’.