[Izkata]

> and installing packages in an imperative manner like this just seems to put folks back in the same position as using pacman or apt-get. Please correct me if I'm wrong Nix-ers.

It being similar to the other commands means we can use nix almost no learning curve, only having to know the equivalent commands. It's the beginner's interface, allowing you to get things done right away, and letting you postpone the complexity until you have need for the features/stability it provides.

For example, I originally started using nix because I needed a Java version not in Ubuntu's repo, and being able to say "just install it" instead of having to learn a whole new specification language is a massive benefit.