Hi all! I just want to mention some theoretical benefits that could arise from using a Guix-aware build-system.
A Guix-aware build system could improve upon the traditional timestamp-based rebuilding heuristic by using a content address heursitic. This benefits developers using the Guix-aware build system because it reduces the number of rebuilds that occur and enables transparent artifact sharing when multiple versions of a project are checked out to different locations. It benefits Guix itself because it enables incremental builds inside of Guix (including on the build server). A Guix-aware build system could remove overhead for package maintainers. If the source repository contains the build code - which in proper Guix style is deterministic and contain precise dependency information - the packager only has to verify the source hash. This benefits packagers because they can focus on the social value provided by packaging (discoverability, pre-configuration) without worrying technical problems such as a library updated for an otherwise unrelated package. Regards, Skyler
