Nix 🖤 macOS

macOS support in Nix has come a really long way with volunteers doing the awesome work.

A more systematic approach is needed to ensure quality is maintained for those whose work depends on Nix and macOS playing along nicely.

The goal is to make macOS a first-class citizen in the Nix ecosystem by paying a developer a day of work per week until that goal is reached.

The list of issues being worked on, the progress on them, and a rough roadmap for the near-term future are all public. A monthly report will be posted on https://discourse.nixos.org/. Anyone contributing to this fund gets a chance to raise specific concerns or propose something else of greater importance to them.

Besides fixing/updating common packages, the main big chunks of work are:

- SDK update
- bootstrappable stdenv on Big Sur
- Apple Silicon support
- sandboxing support in Nix
- runnable NixOS tests
- improved installer
- documentation and knowledge updates

Expected expenses (per month) are:

- $88 for a macOS machine
- $43 for a Cachix binary cache

I will work as an admin and mediator, overseeing that everything is going smoothly.

FAQ

Q: Who will be doing the work?
A: I will be reaching out to the community to find a developer carrying out the work.

Q: Any particular priority of goals?
A: Developer will have full autonomy to make decisions what to work on next, but contributors and the community can influence that by commenting on the monthly report (or by reaching out in private).

Q: What is the goal of this funding?
A: To pay someone a few days a week and eventually full-time to work on improving macOS experience with Nix.

Domen