NixOS is interesting, but has fatal flaws

Episode Overview

• The episode explores the concept of Nix/NixOS, highlighting it as an innovative idea with some practical flaws.
• An analogy is drawn between promising but not fully realized technologies (like Nix) and the charmingly inaccurate future visions from 1950s science fiction.
• The discussion considers the hypothetical impact of Nix's success on the containerization landscape, suggesting Docker might not have emerged in the same way.
• Modern technologies like eBPF and Wasm are viewed through the same lens, praised as "fantastic" but potentially risky bets for mainstream adoption.

Key Concepts

• Nix/NixOS: A package manager and operating system discussed as a "very cool idea" that fundamentally changes software management, despite having what the speaker calls "fatal flaws."
• Technological Alternate Histories: The idea that the technology landscape could have evolved differently. For instance, if Nix had gained mainstream adoption, the need for Docker might not have arisen.
• Retrofuturism in Technology: Comparing the vision of certain technologies to old science fiction—conceptually brilliant and imaginative, but ultimately not reflective of the future that came to be. The speaker compares Nix to the future imagined in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation."
• Innovation vs. Adoption: The segment highlights the difference between a technology being technically impressive or innovative (like Nix, eBPF, Wasm) and it achieving widespread, practical success in the market.

Quotes

• At 00:15 - "And I like to think about how Nix is, it's kind of like 1950s sci fi authors... And their vision of the future was adorable, right?" - Comparing the ambitious but flawed nature of Nix to the charmingly outdated predictions of early science fiction.
• At 00:42 - "If Nix had Won arguably Docker never would have existed, at least in terms of like an image format, right?" - Speculating on how the success of one technology can shape the entire ecosystem and prevent others from being developed.

Takeaways

• Innovative technologies, despite brilliant concepts, can be held back from mainstream success by practical flaws.
• The dominant technologies we use today (like Docker) are not the only possible solutions; exploring alternatives like Nix reveals different paths development could have taken.
• Evaluating emerging technologies like eBPF and Wasm requires balancing their fantastic potential with the risk that they may not achieve widespread adoption.
• Looking at past technological "what-ifs" can provide a useful framework for understanding the trajectory of current and future tech trends.