Re: Building a software toolchain that works

[Yasuaki Kudo]

I am very interested in this topic, too!

At work, I have been forced to use the NPM package manager and since the first 
day I have been unable to understand this enigma - how on earth do people work 
with this fuzzy system almost designed to be unaccountable??   Can Guix replace 
NPM?

I think we are really onto something - my hunch is that technicalities are only 
half of the issue and the other is the community building for democratic and 
accountable software(for which, concepts like Free Software will fit naturally)

-Yasu


> On Mar 17, 2022, at 00:29, Ryan Prior <rprior@protonmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 at 2:02 PM, Josselin Poiret <dev@jpoiret.xyz> 
> wrote:
> 
>> Let me chime in on a specific point.
>> [...]
>> I don't think I would've written these patches without Guix's help.
> 
> This is CRUCIAL to Guix's value proposition: by abstracting away so much of 
> the incidental complexity of software, Guix enables a nimble, carefree mode 
> of hacking where you'll create and improve software that would never have 
> been worth the trouble otherwise.
> 
> Proposals like David's `guix contribute` play on the strength of Guix as an 
> enabling technology. That's exactly the kind of thing I meant when I wrote 
> "double down." How can I encourage the improvement & implementation of such 
> proposals? A few notions:
> 
> a. My Guile isn't strong enough to put together a proof-of-concept in Guix as 
> a solo effort. I might be able to write a PoC in concert with a more 
> experienced Guiler. We could schedule some strategy & pair programming 
> sessions to get something on track.
> 
> b. I could work on a PoC using a language I'm better trained with (elisp, 
> Ruby and JavaScript are my three strongest languages probably.) I don't know 
> how that would be received by the Guix commons, I've felt discouraged in the 
> past to extend Guix unless it's in Guile but perhaps that's a false anxiety.
> 
> c. I could also provide some funding if somebody has time & skills to create 
> a PoC and just needs the financial incentive. If this is you, reach out.
> 
> 
> I've been pleased to see ideas resonate in this thread. It makes me believe 
> many of us have some form of this thought in our heads and that by 
> socializing we can bring something fresh to the free software world. What are 
> the next steps?
>