Hi Alex, Last year there was one devroom for all distros: https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/track/distributions/ (and there was a Guix talk already)
Is the goal to get a full devroom? Debian or Fedora didn't get one, so I doubt we can get one through the distro axis. - Sylvain On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 08:32:05AM +0200, Alex Sassmannshausen wrote: > Hello, > > Like last year, we decided to apply for a devroom at FOSDEM in Brussels > in February. > > Last year we were not selected to organize a devroom in the end. The > original feedback we received from the organizers suggested they were > worried the format of the room might not be technical enough, as it was > built around GNU as an organization, philosophy and a practical project > around software. > > This year our application hence is built around a specific technical > project: a GNU distribution built around Guix and software components > that are parts of it. > > The deadline for the submission of devroom proposals is 15 September, so > I thought I'd share our current proposal on this list for the next few > days before submitting it. > > Feel free to comment if so inclined :-) > > Best wishes, > > Alex > > * Devroom name. > > GNU Guix — growing the GNU distribution. > > * Devroom description: > > GNU Guix is the foundation for the reference GNU distribution. > > Guix is a functional package manager based on Nix, written in GNU > Guile. Development started just 2 years ago, and it has now reached > a critical juncture: hitherto it was a symbiotic package manager > installed alongside other package managers within distributions. Now > it's also becoming a distribution in its own right. > > Goals of the distro (the niche in the "distro market"): > - transparent, transactional, per-user package-management > - declarative system configuration; > - extensibility from the ground up (where possible core distro > functionality is provided through Guile programs, a language > specifically designed to be hackable and extensible — for example, > at present the init system is provided by dmd, which is written in > Guile); > - secure: builds are performed in isolated environments to > facilitate reproducibility, and can be checked independently by > end-users; > - blurring of lines between developers, distribution maintainers and > end-users: > + high level DSL for describing packages makes packaging easy to > understand for developers and end-users alike, reducing barriers > to distro maintenance contribution; > + support for concurrent system configurations within different > 'profiles' allows for on-the-fly system reconfigurations to help > bug-tracking and development. > > The devroom will provide the following content: > > - high level overview of & tutorial on the distribution; > - hacking sessions for packaging software, enhancing the > distribution (installer, package-management tools, user > interfaces); > - discussions & presentations of specific components: > + Secure networking through gnunet: > * integration of the GNU Name Service (peer-to-peer, secure DNS > replacement); > * choice of defaults that help users remain in control (Linux > TCP stealth patch, GNUnet and Tor services, etc.) > + Extending the init system: use Guile (DMD) or established systems? > + Providing kernel hotswapping: supporting hurd development by > providing it as an alternative to linux-libre. > + Extensibility from the ground up: grafting Guile into the heart > of a distro (e.g. GNU Posh, Guix, DMD). > - open discussions on the further development of Guix and the > distro. > > The purpose of the room is to technically progress the distribution > through: > - demonstrations of its viability; > - debates around its technical composition; > - a space where hackers can contribute concrete chunks of code. > > * Related URLs > > - GNU Project: http://www.gnu.org > - GNU Guix: http://www.gnu.org/software/guix > > * Devroom organisers > > - Alex Sassmannshausen ([email protected]): > co-ordinator and occasional contributor to Guix. > - Ludovic Courtès ([email protected]): maintainer and core developer of > Guix.
