Snow should be able to install system packages on /nix/var/nix/profiles/default

[dnkmmr69420]

If snow isn't running on nixos, it should allow you to use the -s flag and have packages installed in the nix default profile.

[dnkmmr69420]

or maybe there can be a new flag -d for installing packages to /nix/var/nix/profiles/default

[jakehamilton]

I think snow currently installs to the default profile for the user? @vlinkz can correct me if I'm wrong here.

https://github.com/snowflakelinux/snow/blob/main/src/profile/install.rs#L35

@dnkmmr69420 what is your use case here? Is there a particular problem you are trying to solve?

[dnkmmr69420]

/nix/var/nix/profiles/default is a global nix profile that is available for all users. I would like to use this on my silverblue machine. Root owns that profile but any user can run programs from it.

[jakehamilton]

@dnkmmr69420 is this because you're trying to support multiple users on the same system? It would help to understand why this change would be useful.

[dnkmmr69420]

I was saying that there is no /etc/nixos/configuration.nix on silverblue. I was saying that snow should install in the root profile when ran with the -d option

[dnkmmr69420]

it is useful if you want to install something for all users

[jakehamilton]

Right, so the problem is that, currently, you cannot use Snow to manage packages for multiple users. Is that correct @dnkmmr69420?

[jakehamilton]

Out of curiosity, do you share your machine with others? Or do you use multiple accounts for another reason?

[dnkmmr69420]

I do use multiple accounts on my computer. It is also because there is no configuration.nix on silverblue too

[vlinkz]

I think this makes sense. Especially since system profiles are not/rarely used on NixOS given the existence of a configuration.nix file.

[dnkmmr69420]

And there is also some things on nixos that you want it system wide but don't want it to be managed by configuration.nix