[dymk]

What you describe with building and rebuilding and keeping a clean environment is exactly what I use Docker containers for, eg devcontainers. I know it’s not reproducible in the same way, but the learning curve is so, so much lower for something 90% as good and with much more documentation and online support.

[tombert]

It is not the same as docker though. Docker is fine, but that would only work with application level stuff. NixOS lets you manage the entire system this way, including drivers and kernel modules and everything else.

This is not a small difference.

[dymk]

That’s the 10% that Docker can’t do, indeed. But most of what I want to do is handled fine by the area where Docker and Nix (not NixOS) overlap.

[tombert]

I am saying that’s more than 10%, it’s fundamental to the entire NixOS experience.