ICLC 2023 Catalogue

Introduction to Nix for Live Coding Software Packaging

Alejandro Sánchez Medina

This workshop will provide a guided introduction to Nix (https://nixos.org/), a functional package manager for declarative configuration of general software dependencies. The workshop will consist of:

  • An introduction to the principles of declarative software dependency management.
  • A guided tutorial to the Nix language.
  • A presentation of common packaging examples and patterns.
  • On-site tutoring packaging the live-coding software chosen by the participant.

Requirements for participation: bring your personal laptop to work during the practical part of the workshop. Windows users are encouraged to come with a Linux Virtual Machine. Nix can work from within the Windows Subsystem for Linux, albeit with some limitations compared to native *nix systems.

It is highly recommended that participants come with their own project to package, or a project they already want to use but could not manage to make it work in a specific setup.