Subject: Re: bug#43049: Add the ability to install Guix System offline

From: Josselin Poiret <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2024 11:13:06 +0100

Hi Giovanni,

Giovanni Biscuolo <[email-masked]> writes:

>> However, we also implemented the `current-guix` hack that basically uses
>> a guix checkout at the current guix version as the source for the guix
>> package.
>
> So, since some commit, now the guix version used to build the target
> system image is the one checked-out by the person/agent running the
> install image build script: did I understand it correctly?

Yes.

>> In both cases though, we shouldn't see any differences in other
>> package's derivations…
>
> Does this mean you consider possible to pre-populate the /gnu/store
> install system (the one started using the install image) with a substet
> of substitutes possibly needed in the target system?

I think it's already meant to be the case, see the comment in
gnu/system/install.scm about keeping a reference to the bare bones os's
closure.  It wouldn't contain all graphical stuff either, but I think
there's also some trouble with grafts that forces users to still
download substitutes.

Best,
-- 
Josselin Poiret