If you've used a normal linux distro and installed GNOME.. and then decided "That was dumb." and wanted to go back...and realize, you can't. There is no real way to get rid of Gnome sanely. (I can say the same of KDE and other massive packages.)
On Nix, I can, I just remove it from the configuration, and basically reapply my config. No damage done.
For tools I'll want to try out or maybe use 2 times in my life, I can just run them in shells that have them, and not add them.
This all adds up to a much more pleasant experience. I won't say flawless, but... it beats much of what is out there.
I do think people can take it to an extreme which isn't useful. I still have declarative dotfiles, unlike some.
But, for just managing the OS and packages. I've found nothing better. Realize: Things that are clusterfucks to package like python are still clustefucks. But... otherwise... 9/10 would install again, language can take a long walk off a short pier.
If you've used a normal linux distro and installed GNOME.. and then decided "That was dumb." and wanted to go back...and realize, you can't. There is no real way to get rid of Gnome sanely. (I can say the same of KDE and other massive packages.)
On Nix, I can, I just remove it from the configuration, and basically reapply my config. No damage done.
For tools I'll want to try out or maybe use 2 times in my life, I can just run them in shells that have them, and not add them.
This all adds up to a much more pleasant experience. I won't say flawless, but... it beats much of what is out there.
I do think people can take it to an extreme which isn't useful. I still have declarative dotfiles, unlike some.
But, for just managing the OS and packages. I've found nothing better. Realize: Things that are clusterfucks to package like python are still clustefucks. But... otherwise... 9/10 would install again, language can take a long walk off a short pier.