2023-07-11.md

2023-07-11 Nixpkgs Architecture Team Meeting #41

• Past meeting notes
• Recording
• Matrix announcement
• Recorded and lead by: @infinisil
• Meeting notes by: @roberth
• Attendees: @infinisil @roberth @growpotkin @Ericson2314

Notes

RFC 140

• Went into FCP again and should be merged soon by the RFC steering committee
• Implementation: mostly discussion since last meeting

Packages Modules WG

• No updates from @infinisil who is just back from time off
• @DavHau lead the meetings in recent weeks instead, see the repository for updates

What to do with this team

• @roberth failed to host the meeting and apologizes
  • @growpotkin: * and Alex were present and found some things to discuss.
• @infinisil: team is responsible for managing working groups, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to only have updates in these meetings
• Ideas for how to proceed with this team
  • Schedule longer review meetings when needed
    • E.g. when someone has an idea that would need a working group, or if a working group would like their RFC draft reviewed
    • Decision: Do this, but still have regular sync meetings monthly at least
  • Leadership rotation
    • Everything can be delegated including stream setup
    • No decision to do this for now
  • @growpotkin: In general, need stuff to do
    • Addressing Nixpkgs issues (e.g. label: significant)
      • Weird because we don't have authority
      • review is still useful
    • @growpotkin: Maintenance tasks?
      • @infinisil: Better to focus on fundamental / long standing issues
  • Specific things to work on/start a working group for:
    • Existing issues in the team issues
    • @growpotkin: version numbers in attributes
    • @infinisil: version resolution
    • @Ericson2314: Nixpkgs CLI (but don't have time to lead it)
      • @infinisil: announce and ask someone to lead? A discourse post can be enough to find a group. Might need some time, e.g. a couple of months, but that's ok.
      • Coordinating a new WG in nixpkgs-architecture/issues#20
        • Use the packages modules discourse post as an example
  • Dissolve the team as a possibility
• Mini "retrospective":
  • We got things done
  • RFCs are inherently slow
  • How do we motivate people to do this kind of work?
    • It's hard to get people to join a specific task sometimes
    • RFC-like process is not fun for everyone
    • Some people may want to join when they see RFC 140

Action

• Everyone subscribe to the Nixpkgs Architecture topic on discourse
• infinisil: Schedule the meeting to be monthly -> Done, every 4 weeks