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diff --git a/2020/info/08.md b/2020/info/08.md index 17769bd3..5494a68e 100644 --- a/2020/info/08.md +++ b/2020/info/08.md @@ -1,8 +1,9 @@ # Building reproducible Emacs Andrew Tropin -[[!template id=vid src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--08-building-reproducible-emacs--andrew-tropin.webm"]] -[Download compressed .webm video (18.4M)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--08-building-reproducible-emacs--andrew-tropin--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm) +[[!template id=vid src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--08-building-reproducible-emacs--andrew-tropin.webm" subtitles="/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--08-building-reproducible-emacs--andrew-tropin.vtt"]] +[Download compressed .webm video (18.4M)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--08-building-reproducible-emacs--andrew-tropin--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm) +[View transcript](#transcript) It's not always easy to take part of someone's configuration and make it work, it's almost never easy to move your configuration to fresh OS @@ -57,3 +58,373 @@ Currently trying it, and also in-process of switching from Nix to Guix. - Reproducible development environment: <https://github.com/abcdw/rde> - Using Org-roam to demo how to config a Nix layer(?) - custom.el conflicts with Nix(?) + +<a name="transcript"></a> +# Transcript + +00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:24.056 +Hello, everyone. I am Andrew Tropin. I +am a professional software engineer I +was playing with NixOS It's an operating +system based on the Nix package manager. +I came up with this interesting approach +for configuring Emacs. I want to share +it with you. + +00:00:24.056 --> 00:01:31.389 +I will start with the bold statement +that Emacs configuration is almost the +same as system configuration. It's not +related to that Emacs joke about Emacs +being an operating system. It's more +about Emacs being integrated with so +many tools inside the environment. For +example, if you don't even use any fancy +workflows, you use only plain Emacs +without any configuration, dired uses +ls, grep.el uses grep, and info files +placed somewhere in your system. Also +Emacs can interact with gpg, git, make, +and other stuff. When you grow your +Emacs Lisp init.el file or other files +in your .emacs.d directory, you get much +more integration with underlying +operating system. + +00:01:31.389 --> 00:02:08.622 +The question is: how to manage such +configuration? Because you can't just +take a bunch of .el files and move to a +different machine and be sure that +everything will work. Because you didn't +move your executables. You didn't move +configuration of other programs. You +didn't move your service configurations. +And you can't even just create dotfiles +for each program and move it with your +.el files. The approach would be a +little broader. + +00:02:08.622 --> 00:02:23.722 +Everything that I am showing today is +available on Github. Any source code, +you can find here. but my copy of the +repository is on my local machine. + +00:02:23.722 --> 00:03:45.889 +As you can see, the font is a little +small. And also, my terminal font is +also a little small. I can do a quick +fix and increase the font. But imagine +how cool it will be if you can have a +file which contains the configuration +for a system. You change some value. +Here, for example, fontSize = 16 and run +some command and based on this file and +some other includes your operating +system is built and all your environment +is set up and ready for use. For example +here, we already built the new operating +system, and everything is already +installed in my SSD. Now I can run the +program and you can see that my alacrity +terminal has much bigger font and also +if I restart my Emacs instance it by +default uses a much bigger font for any +buffer. Practical, and as you can see, +it's already working, thanks to Nix and +NixOS. + +00:03:45.889 --> 00:04:44.556 +I will explain a little later how it +works inside, but for now, let's specify +a little more what happened right now. I +fed my... Oh. It doesn't work. Sorry. I +want... I have my whole operating system +defined in a few Nix files. For example, +here you saw the file which defines some +variables for my environment and then a +few more files for different programs. +There is a folder which contains all +Emacs-related configuration. Also, there +are package definitions defined in Nix +package repositories which is also +included for the function which +generates the operating system. + +00:04:44.556 --> 00:05:11.689 +Getting all my configurations written in +Nix language and a few firewalls in ?? +languages, everything is gathered +together, and from that input and only +from that input, the new operating +system is built. Emacs now is a part of +this operating system. I can distribute +this Emacs configuration with all the +environment that I want. + +00:05:11.689 --> 00:05:50.789 +Practical so far. Let's clarify which +problems does it solve. First of all, +the integration problem. For example, a +few minutes ago, you saw that I changed +one variable. That was to update... The +first one, for my terminal, and the +second one, for my Emacs. It's pretty +good that a few different programs can +share some data. For example, you can +have one of them for every application, +or something like that and you change +only one value in one place and the +whole operating system is updated. + +00:05:50.789 --> 00:06:20.856 +Also, another problem is +reproducibility. For example, when you +install your new instance of Emacs on +your laptop or something like that, you +can be sure that you will get the same +package versions and you can be sure +that the configuration of your work +results in newly-updated or +newly-installed packages. + +00:06:20.856 --> 00:06:43.256 +Also, if you update packages, sometimes +it's hard to revert, because it's the +way your package manager almost every +time works. You're just getting the +latest available packages. If they are +broken, you need to wait for the +maintainer to update them. + +00:06:43.256 --> 00:07:39.656 +And also, your basic configuration +almost always doesn't contain any native +dependencies, like executables or +something else. Recently, I saw some +attempts to make it possible to use +use-package for those needs, like +ensuring native dependencies or +something like that. It's obviously... +If your configuration isn't reproducible +and it doesn't have your whole +environment, placed in one repository, +it's very hard to share such +configuration. You can share part of +your configuration and some instruction +how to get a similar environment, but it +doesn't always work. Let's go closer to +actually Emacs configuration itself. + +00:07:39.656 --> 00:08:10.839 +I had some experience with Spacemacs and +Doom Emacs distributions. I also watched +a lot of videos and articles by +Protesilaos and a lot of other custom +configurations of many different cool +people. And also I was inspired by +use-package and decided that I will +create a folding structure for my Emacs +configuration. + +00:08:10.839 --> 00:09:01.306 +I will be using subconfigs. It's almost +the same as layers in Spacemacs, or +modules in Doom Emacs, which are +self-contained. They contain Emacs Lisp +code which configures all packages +necessary for this part of +configuration. It contains all Emacs +dependencies like Emacs packages. It +contains all native dependencies like +binaries or maybe info pages or +something like that. It also contains +variables that can be shared between +Emacs and other applications, and it can +contain service or system definitions +which configure your systemd service or +something like that that you use in your +workflow. For example, for synchronizing +your e-mails. + +00:09:01.306 --> 00:10:06.922 +Let's start from just the example that I +already am... I have a folding structure +for my configuration. I have some files +here. early-init just has this. Nothing +changes. It will be copied to that +.emacs.d directory later with some +exceptions that it will replace the Nix +dir and a symlink will be created to it. +I have use-package-init.el. It's part of +configuration that will be on top of +everything to be able to use use-package +in my subconfigurations. And actually +some Nix code to glue everything up and +config dirs which contain all my +subconfigs. + +00:10:06.922 --> 00:11:10.105 +Let's start from faces subconfig. Let's +start from config.el which can be +familiar for many people. Just +use-package definition for faces package +and some configuration for it which are +setting some attributes. It reads some +variables. Those variables are actually +defined in a different place. If I open +default.nix file, you can see that it +contains the definition or subconfig, +and it should contain a definition of +variables that it uses by... I forgot to +move it from my original default.nix +file somewhere here. You probably can +find definition of those variables just +right here. + +00:11:10.105 --> 00:11:38.422 +I took values from my Nix expressions. +Those values will be shared across my +alacrity, Emacs, and other applications. +Later, they will be placed in generated +Emacs configuration. They will be +available for faces config. Here I will +be referencing them just like Emacs +variables. + +00:11:38.422 --> 00:12:39.222 +Let's take a look at another more +complicated example. For example, +org-roam package. Just a basic +use-package configuration which uses a +variable and the definition. It's a +little more complex than the previous +one. Elisp configuration in the same +file. emacsPackages specified here. +Those two packages: org-roam and +company-org-roam. systemPackages: it's +something that should be available on +your host operating system. And for +emacsPackages, you need sqlite package, +and also the definition of the variable +which will be passed in my Emacs +configuration later. It's equal to my +workDir, which is defined in my +environment, and a subdirectory of it. + +00:12:39.222 --> 00:12:43.222 +([Amin:] Andrew, you have about five +minutes including questions.) + +00:12:43.222 --> 00:13:26.222 +Oh, okay. I'm almost finished. It was +last example. Let me open my Org file. +Okay. Right here. I won't give you an +introduction to Nix itself and the +underlying mechanism, but I can say that +there's already a proof of concept +framework for utilizing Nix and NixOS +for configuring Emacs and making a very +complex workflow reproducible on other +machines. It gives everything that we +saw right now. + +00:13:26.222 --> 00:14:05.389 +For the future work, I plan to +reimplement it in Guile, which is a +Scheme dialect, which is another Lisp +language, for the GNU Guix operating +system, because I like Lisp languages a +little more than Nix languages and I +want to make this project from proof of +concept to some state which will be +user-friendly and available for other +people. If I will have a lot of time, I +will make an operating system which will +be inspired by Lisp machines to make the +whole experience very Lispy. + +00:14:05.389 --> 00:14:22.622 +Thank you for your attention and now I +will answer questions. Oh. There is a +lot of... Okay. I see some questions. + +00:14:22.622 --> 00:14:29.222 +Did you release some config files such +as Emacs custom.el, some of which have +sensitive data? + +00:14:29.222 --> 00:14:59.456 +Ideally, in the folding way, I create a +separate directory called +local/share/emacs, and I place custom el +files here. It's not synchronized in any +way, and it will be just lost in case +you move to a separate machine. I do it +for a purpose, because I don't use +custom.el. It's hard to make it +reproducible if you're using such +mechanism as custom.el. + +00:14:59.456 --> 00:15:06.656 +How do you learn the Nix language +basics? Just from the manual? + +00:15:06.656 --> 00:15:32.989 +I read a lot of documentation. Also, I +saw the course like Learn Nix in 15 +minutes. And also there was another +resource. Better to ask this question in +Nix or NixOS channel in IRC, which will +be treated in more details. + +00:15:32.989 --> 00:15:38.909 +What are the main advantages besides +switching computers, which most people +rarely do? + +00:15:38.909 --> 00:16:10.556 +For example, the original idea was to +make part of configurations available +for projects. For example, you have some +project, you made the setup, and want +other developers to use the same setup +on their machine, but you implement only +the part of stuff, like one subconfig +especially for this language for this +project. With such approach, you can +easily share such subconfig with other +people. + +00:16:10.556 --> 00:16:15.239 +Have you tried Guix in place of Nix? + +00:16:15.239 --> 00:16:41.239 +Yes, I tried it, and currently I am in +the state of switching from Nix to Guix. +You can follow my Youtube channel, I +think, I do streams twice in a month +talking about reproducibility and +related stuff. Probably soon I will be +talking about installation of Guix and +configuration of it. + +00:16:41.239 --> 00:16:50.406 +In case you're watching this video +later, you can find me somewhere on the +network using those contacts. It's my +nickname and my e-mail address. + +00:16:54.072 --> 00:17:04.622 +([Amin:] Awesome. I think we're wrapping +up just on time. Thank you so much, +Andrew, for your great talk, and for +hanging out to answer the questions +live.) + +00:17:04.622 --> 00:17:18.000 +[Andrew:] Thank you for organizing the +conference and thank you all +participants for questions and +participation. See you soon! |