explicit systems optional?

[edrex]

Looking for ways to increase the ratio of meaningful choices to boilerplate in flake.nix definitions.

For me, the value of systems is nearly always an arbitrary choice.

Any reason not to provide an inclusive default value, given that evaluation is lazy?

[roberth]

Perhaps nixpkgs could set a default.
There's some work in progress here

• Draft for overlays using flake.nix outputs.flakeModule NixOS/nixpkgs#222155

[srid]

@edrex See also #25

[edrex]

A default value for systems might be a good idea

[edrex]

Robert, what would be the reasoning for putting the default into the nixpkgs module rather than in a core module, given that systems isn't specific to nixpkgs (other than the fact that lib.systems.flakeExposed lives there)?

[edrex]

My only concern would be that if the nixpkgs module isn't needed for some other reason (adding an overlay) it's an extra line in the minimal flake definition. But maybe you're envisioning the nixpkgs module being somewhat mandatory?

[roberth]

My preferred solution is to make the enumeration of systems completely unnecessary in the Nix CLI schema, but that's a significant change that won't be carried out soon, so short of that, I think a default in nixpkgs.flakeModule would be a sensible, pragmatic solution.

[edrex]

Workaround for ordinary flake authors like me who aren't keen to participate in a meta-architectural deadlock: edrex/lab_journal@66f2278