Hi guix,
I want to start a discussion around how to manage user app config
files.
Copying my message from https://issues.guix.gnu.org/68010, where
home-zathura-configuration with 76 fields is proposed.
I have mixed feelings about pulling 3rd-party software
configurations in guix:
- adding it to guix increases maintenance burden: new versions
could add or remove config options
- it requires documentation/translation, another hidden cost
- it bloats guix: imagine if we add configs for every
user-configurable app
- such configs are not easily transferrable: if I were to use the
same app in non-guix env, I'd have to maintain 2 configs
Another recent example is `oci-container-configuration` which
defines a subset of docker-cli startup arguments. The problem is
that `docker run` command has 96 options and the configuration
only uses a handful, lacking a way to provide the remaining ones.
I think guix should not embed config generators for user software.
The only need I see for such generators is when there are options
which should be the same among multiple applications (e.g. color
schemes or shared directories). For such usecase guix should
provide better text manipulation tools which home owners could use
to parameterise configs.
Best regards,
Sergey Trofimov
