this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2026
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Nix / NixOS

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This may be an unusual thing but I realised that use nix run a lot instead of putting the package in my nixos configuration. It's often on packages I run at most once every 3 days

Am I the only one that does that?

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[–] quixaq@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago

I mostly use it for coding so nix run ., I use comma for apps I need just once

[–] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I use nix-shell -p for infrequently used commands, or nix shell flake#packagename for flakes. I prefer the shell environment because I rarely need to run something only one in a session. Usually I forget the cli arguments, and then have to run --help and so on.

For anything I need more frequently, I usually install either via home manager if I care about a specific/newer version, or just as a system package (I don't use NixOS).

[–] brian@programming.dev 2 points 6 days ago

I use comma very frequently. I have fast enough Internet that download time doesn't really matter for most things, so it takes a lot for me to actually promote it to a system package

[–] Corngood@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I do this and then regret it when I'm on my laptop using slow WiFi and have to dowload 1g of stuff to run freecad or Krita or something

[–] RustyNova@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Yeah I see it when I nix run krita lol

Same as you but with nix-shell -p

[–] Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don't have any packages like that to be fair but: no.

I've ran nix run perhaps .. once a year for the last years. I either create a shell.nix or add it into my config.

Just curious what would be a command you're using like this? The only one that came close to that for me was nvidia-smi and that I ran once with run and then created a shell.nix with some other debug stuff :D

[–] RustyNova@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I actually use it to run krita, prism launcher when the Minecraft mood peek in, inkscape, MusicBrainz picard, Alistral, peazips, libre Office.

Aka, anything that I don't use enough to warrant opening my config and adding them in (and forgetting when I do open my config.

Although krita is currently being installed through flatpack because nixpkgs ship broken alpha versions...

[–] Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ah for these tools I went full all in on home manager! But nothing wrong with a nix run if it works!

I never tried flatpacks on nixos, curious idea! Might solve the one or other flake hack I have :D thanks!

[–] RustyNova@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Personally I find home manager really hard to use. The documentation is really bad, and I never find what want... Nor what's possible. I don't use it because I don't want to, just I don't know how to

It was that or spaghetti an override and compile krita from scratch. So I chose the lazy way

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago

That's funny. I also use it (semi-)regularly for Krita, Inkscape, MusicBrainz Picard, LibreOffice, and well, not Prism Launcher but Luanti.

I also have GIMP and some other games in the rotation.
My metric is kind of that if I don't use a piece of software as often as I update my system, then it's not really worth including into the system updates. Of course, I also have to not mind waiting for it to be installed, when I do want to use it.

[–] juipeltje@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Honestly pretty much never, i always use nix shell if i want to quickly try and run something without commiting to it.