Merge branch 'master' into core-updates

28 files changed, 554 insertions, 125 deletions

diff --git a/gnu/packages.scm b/gnu/packages.scm
index 8365a00051..77d9d3ee82 100644
--- a/gnu/packages.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages.scm
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
 ;;; Copyright © 2012, 2013 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2013 Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2014 Eric Bavier <bavier@member.fsf.org>
 ;;;
 ;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
 ;;;
@@ -31,10 +32,16 @@
             search-bootstrap-binary
             %patch-directory
             %bootstrap-binaries-path
+
             fold-packages
+
             find-packages-by-name
             find-best-packages-by-name
-            find-newest-available-packages))
+            find-newest-available-packages
+
+            package-direct-dependents
+            package-transitive-dependents
+            package-covering-dependents))
 
 ;;; Commentary:
 ;;;
@@ -182,3 +189,60 @@ VERSION."
       (match (vhash-assoc name (find-newest-available-packages))
         ((_ version pkgs ...) pkgs)
         (#f '()))))
+
+
+(define* (vhash-refq vhash key #:optional (dflt #f))
+  "Look up KEY in the vhash VHASH, and return the value (if any) associated
+with it.  If KEY is not found, return DFLT (or `#f' if no DFLT argument is
+supplied).  Uses `eq?' for equality testing."
+  (or (and=> (vhash-assq key vhash) cdr)
+      dflt))
+
+(define package-dependencies
+  (memoize
+   (lambda ()
+     "Return a vhash keyed by package, and with associated values that are a
+list of packages that depend on that package."
+     (fold-packages
+      (lambda (package dag)
+        (fold
+         (lambda (in d)
+           ;; Insert a graph edge from each of package's inputs to package.
+           (vhash-consq in
+                        (cons package (vhash-refq d in '()))
+                        (vhash-delq in d)))
+         dag
+         (match (package-direct-inputs package)
+           (((labels packages . _) ...)
+            packages) )))
+      vlist-null))))
+
+(define (package-direct-dependents packages)
+  "Return a list of packages from the distribution that directly depend on the
+packages in PACKAGES."
+  (delete-duplicates
+   (concatenate
+    (map (lambda (p)
+           (vhash-refq (package-dependencies) p '()))
+         packages))))
+
+(define (package-transitive-dependents packages)
+  "Return the transitive dependent packages of the distribution packages in
+PACKAGES---i.e. the dependents of those packages, plus their dependents,
+recursively."
+  (let ((dependency-dag (package-dependencies)))
+    (fold-tree
+     cons '()
+     (lambda (node) (vhash-refq dependency-dag node))
+     ;; Start with the dependents to avoid including PACKAGES in the result.
+     (package-direct-dependents packages))))
+
+(define (package-covering-dependents packages)
+  "Return a minimal list of packages from the distribution whose dependencies
+include all of PACKAGES and all packages that depend on PACKAGES."
+  (let ((dependency-dag (package-dependencies)))
+    (fold-tree-leaves
+     cons '()
+     (lambda (node) (vhash-refq dependency-dag node))
+     ;; Start with the dependents to avoid including PACKAGES in the result.
+     (package-direct-dependents packages))))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/admin.scm b/gnu/packages/admin.scm
index 8b7a2c0303..4a88fdd76a 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/admin.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/admin.scm
@@ -78,16 +78,16 @@ interface and is based on GNU Guile.")
 (define-public dfc
   (package
    (name "dfc")
-   (version "3.0.3")
+   (version "3.0.4")
    (source
     (origin
      (method url-fetch)
       (uri (string-append
-            "http://projects.gw-computing.net/attachments/download/78/dfc-"
+            "http://projects.gw-computing.net/attachments/download/79/dfc-"
             version ".tar.gz"))
       (sha256
        (base32
-        "1b4hfqv23l87cb37fxwzfk2sgspkyxpr3ig2hsd23hr6mm982j7z"))))
+        "0zk1ppx93ijimf4sbgqilxxikpsa2gmpbynknyh41xy7jbdjxp0b"))))
    (build-system cmake-build-system)
    (arguments '(#:tests? #f)) ; There are no tests.
    (native-inputs `(("gettext" ,gnu-gettext)))
@@ -101,14 +101,14 @@ graphs and can export its output to different formats.")
 (define-public htop
   (package
    (name "htop")
-   (version "1.0.2")
+   (version "1.0.3")
    (source (origin
             (method url-fetch)
-            (uri (string-append "mirror://sourceforge/htop/"
+            (uri (string-append "http://hisham.hm/htop/releases/"
                   version "/htop-" version ".tar.gz"))
             (sha256
              (base32
-              "18fqrhvnm7h4c3939av8lpiwrwxbyw6hcly0jvq0vkjf0ixnaq7f"))))
+              "0a8qbpsifzjwc4f45xfwm48jhm59g6q5hlib4bf7z13mgy95fp05"))))
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (inputs
     `(("ncurses" ,ncurses)))
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ system administrator.")
 (define-public sudo
   (package
     (name "sudo")
-    (version "1.8.10p2")
+    (version "1.8.10p3")
     (source (origin
               (method url-fetch)
               (uri
@@ -627,10 +627,10 @@ system administrator.")
                                     version ".tar.gz")))
               (sha256
                (base32
-                "1wbrygz584abmywklq0b4xhqn3s1bjk3rrladslr5nycdpdvhv5s"))))
+                "002l6h27pnhb77b65frhazbhknsxvrsnkpi43j7i0qw1lrgi7nkf"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (arguments
-     '(#:configure-flags '("--with-logpath=/var/log/sudo.log")
+     `(#:configure-flags '("--with-logpath=/var/log/sudo.log")
        #:phases (alist-cons-before
                  'configure 'pre-configure
                  (lambda _
@@ -644,7 +644,18 @@ system administrator.")
                       "")
                      (("^install: (.*)install-sudoers(.*)" _ before after)
                       ;; Don't try to create /etc/sudoers.
-                      (string-append "install: " before after "\n"))))
+                      (string-append "install: " before after "\n")))
+
+                   ;; XXX FIXME sudo 1.8.10p3 was bootstrapped with a
+                   ;; prerelease libtool, which fails on MIPS in the absence
+                   ;; of /usr/bin/file.  As a temporary workaround, we patch
+                   ;; the configure script to hardcode use of the little
+                   ;; endian N32 ABI on MIPS.
+                   ,@(if (equal? "mips64el-linux" (or (%current-target-system)
+                                                      (%current-system)))
+                         '((substitute* "configure"
+                             (("\\$emul") "elf32ltsmipn32")))
+                         '()))
                  %standard-phases)
 
        ;; XXX: The 'testsudoers' test series expects user 'root' to exist, but
@@ -668,7 +679,7 @@ commands and their arguments.")
 (define-public wpa-supplicant
   (package
     (name "wpa-supplicant")
-    (version "2.1")
+    (version "2.2")
     (source (origin
               (method url-fetch)
               (uri (string-append
@@ -677,7 +688,7 @@ commands and their arguments.")
                     ".tar.gz"))
               (sha256
                (base32
-                "0xxjw7lslvql1ykfbwmbhdrnjsjljf59fbwf837418s97dz2wqwi"))))
+                "1vf8jc4yyksbxf86narvsli3vxfbm8nbnim2mdp66nd6d3yvin70"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (arguments
      '(#:phases (alist-replace
@@ -762,3 +773,33 @@ This package provides the 'wpa_supplicant' daemon and the 'wpa_cli' command.")
      "WakeLan broadcasts a properly formatted UDP packet across the local area
 network, which causes enabled computers to power on.")
     (license gpl2+)))
+
+(define-public dmidecode
+  (package
+    (name "dmidecode")
+    (version "2.12")
+    (source (origin
+              (method url-fetch)
+              (uri (string-append
+                    "mirror://savannah/dmidecode/dmidecode-"
+                    version ".tar.bz2"))
+              (sha256
+               (base32
+                "122hgaw8mpqdfra159lfl6pyk3837giqx6vq42j64fjnbl2z6gwi"))))
+    (build-system gnu-build-system)
+    (arguments
+     '(#:phases (alist-delete 'configure %standard-phases)
+       #:tests? #f                                ; no 'check' target
+       #:make-flags (list (string-append "prefix="
+                                         (assoc-ref %outputs "out")))))
+    (home-page "http://www.nongnu.org/dmidecode/")
+    (synopsis "Read hardware information from the BIOS")
+    (description
+     "Dmidecode reports information about your system's hardware as described
+in your system BIOS according to the SMBIOS/DMI standard.  This typically
+includes system manufacturer, model name, serial number, BIOS version, asset
+tag as well as a lot of other details of varying level of interest and
+reliability depending on the manufacturer.  This will often include usage
+status for the CPU sockets, expansion slots (e.g. AGP, PCI, ISA) and memory
+module slots, and the list of I/O ports (e.g. serial, parallel, USB).")
+    (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/algebra.scm b/gnu/packages/algebra.scm
index 9ed978536d..8c12eb604e 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/algebra.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/algebra.scm
@@ -84,14 +84,14 @@ solve the shortest vector problem.")
 (define-public pari-gp
   (package
    (name "pari-gp")
-   (version "2.7.0")
+   (version "2.7.1")
    (source (origin
             (method url-fetch)
             (uri (string-append
                   "http://pari.math.u-bordeaux.fr/pub/pari/unix/pari-"
                   version ".tar.gz"))
             (sha256 (base32
-                     "1hk7lmq09crr9jvia8nxzhvbwf8mw62xk456i96jg8dljh0r9sgz"))))
+                     "1gj1rddi22hinzwy7r6hljgbi252wwwyd6gapg4hvcn0ycc7jqyc"))))
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (inputs `(("gmp" ,gmp)
              ("perl" ,perl)
diff --git a/gnu/packages/boost.scm b/gnu/packages/boost.scm
index 73b377e384..a77f1393d9 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/boost.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/boost.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
 ;;; Copyright © 2014 John Darrington <jmd@gnu.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2014 Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org>
 ;;;
 ;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
 ;;;
@@ -46,39 +47,48 @@
        ("python" ,python-2)
        ("tcsh" ,tcsh)))
     (arguments
-     `(#:phases
-       (alist-replace
-        'configure
-        (lambda* (#:key outputs #:allow-other-keys)
-          (let ((out (assoc-ref outputs "out")))
-            (substitute* '("libs/config/configure"
-                           "libs/spirit/classic/phoenix/test/runtest.sh"
-                           "tools/build/v2/doc/bjam.qbk"
-                           "tools/build/v2/engine/execunix.c"
-                           "tools/build/v2/engine/Jambase"
-                           "tools/build/v2/engine/jambase.c")
-              (("/bin/sh") (which "sh")))
-
-            (setenv "SHELL" (which "sh"))
-            (setenv "CONFIG_SHELL" (which "sh"))
-
-            (zero? (system* "./bootstrap.sh"
-                            (string-append "--prefix=" out)
-                            "--with-toolset=gcc"))))
-        (alist-replace
-         'build
-         (lambda _
-           (zero? (system* "./b2" "threading=multi" "link=shared")))
-
+     (let ((build-flags
+            `("threading=multi" "link=shared"
+              ;; Boost's 'context' library is not yet supported on mips64, so
+              ;; we disable it.  The 'coroutine' library depends on 'context',
+              ;; so we disable that too.
+              ,@(if (equal? "mips64el-linux" (or (%current-target-system)
+                                                 (%current-system)))
+                    '("--without-context" "--without-coroutine")
+                    '()))))
+       `(#:phases
          (alist-replace
-          'check
-          (lambda _ #t)
+          'configure
+          (lambda* (#:key outputs #:allow-other-keys)
+            (let ((out (assoc-ref outputs "out")))
+              (substitute* '("libs/config/configure"
+                             "libs/spirit/classic/phoenix/test/runtest.sh"
+                             "tools/build/v2/doc/bjam.qbk"
+                             "tools/build/v2/engine/execunix.c"
+                             "tools/build/v2/engine/Jambase"
+                             "tools/build/v2/engine/jambase.c")
+                (("/bin/sh") (which "sh")))
 
+              (setenv "SHELL" (which "sh"))
+              (setenv "CONFIG_SHELL" (which "sh"))
+
+              (zero? (system* "./bootstrap.sh"
+                              (string-append "--prefix=" out)
+                              "--with-toolset=gcc"))))
           (alist-replace
-           'install
+           'build
            (lambda _
-             (zero? (system* "./b2" "install" "threading=multi" "link=shared")))
-           %standard-phases))))))
+             (zero? (system* "./b2" ,@build-flags)))
+
+           (alist-replace
+            'check
+            (lambda _ #t)
+
+            (alist-replace
+             'install
+             (lambda _
+               (zero? (system* "./b2" "install" ,@build-flags)))
+             %standard-phases)))))))
 
     (home-page "http://boost.org")
     (synopsis "Peer-reviewed portable C++ source libraries")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm b/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
index e520312164..518cfc3c2b 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
 ;;; Copyright © 2013, 2014 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
-;;; Copyright © 2013 Andreas Enge <andreas@enge.fr>
+;;; Copyright © 2013, 2014 Andreas Enge <andreas@enge.fr>
 ;;;
 ;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
 ;;;
@@ -98,14 +98,14 @@ extraction from CDs.")
 (define-public xorriso
   (package
     (name "xorriso")
-    (version "1.3.6.pl01")
+    (version "1.3.8")
     (source (origin
              (method url-fetch)
              (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/xorriso/xorriso-"
                                  version ".tar.gz"))
              (sha256
               (base32
-               "07bm20kb4f6q5pbkxhy7w8ggw2gxkrq45cda2kbh6wgphs5z2h7q"))))
+               "0zhhj9lr9z7hnb2alac54mc28w1l0mbanphhpmy3ylsi8rih84lh"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (inputs
      `(("acl" ,acl)
@@ -173,14 +173,14 @@ reconstruction capability.")
 (define-public dvdisaster
   (package
     (name "dvdisaster")
-    (version "0.72.4")
+    (version "0.72.6")
     (source (origin
              (method url-fetch)
              (uri (string-append "http://dvdisaster.net/downloads/dvdisaster-"
                                  version ".tar.bz2"))
              (sha256
               (base32
-               "0pm039a78h7m9vvjmmjfkl05ii6qdmfhvbypxjbc7j5w82y66is4"))))
+               "0sqrprc5rh3shnfli25m2wy0i5f83db54iv04s5s7bxf77m7sy79"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (inputs
      `(("gtk+" ,gtk+-2)))
@@ -192,7 +192,14 @@ reconstruction capability.")
      `(;; Parallel builds appear to be unsafe, see
        ;; <http://hydra.gnu.org/build/49331/nixlog/1/raw>.
        #:parallel-build? #f
-       #:tests? #f)) ; no check target
+       #:tests? #f ; no check target
+       #:phases
+         (alist-cons-before
+          'patch-source-shebangs 'sanitise
+          (lambda _
+            ;; delete dangling symlink
+            (delete-file ".#GNUmakefile"))
+          %standard-phases)))
     (home-page "http://dvdisaster.net/en/index.html")
     (synopsis "error correcting codes for optical media images")
     (description "Optical media (CD,DVD,BD) keep their data only for a
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gcc.scm b/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
index c927e6e49c..aed2e8925e 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
@@ -272,14 +272,14 @@ Go.  It also includes runtime support libraries for these languages.")
 
 (define-public gcc-4.9
   (package (inherit gcc-4.7)
-    (version "4.9.0")
+    (version "4.9.1")
     (source (origin
              (method url-fetch)
              (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/gcc/gcc-"
                                  version "/gcc-" version ".tar.bz2"))
              (sha256
               (base32
-               "0mqjxpw2klskls00lwx1k24pnyzm3whqxg3hk74c3sddgfllgc5r"))))))
+               "0zki3ngi0gsidnmsp88mjl2868cc7cm5wm1vwqw6znja28d7hd6k"))))))
 
 (define (custom-gcc gcc name languages)
   "Return a custom version of GCC that supports LANGUAGES."
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gimp.scm b/gnu/packages/gimp.scm
index 9db543199c..399c99bcdf 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gimp.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gimp.scm
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ provided as well as the framework to add new color models and data types.")
        ("libjpeg" ,libjpeg-8)))
     (native-inputs
      `(("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)
+       ("glib" ,glib "bin")             ; for gtester
        ("intltool" ,intltool)))
     (home-page "http://gegl.org")
     (synopsis "Graph based image processing framework")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gnome.scm b/gnu/packages/gnome.scm
index 893c3e8a6b..f684d24627 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gnome.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gnome.scm
@@ -449,6 +449,7 @@ some form of information without getting in the user's way.")
        ("pango" ,pango)))
     (native-inputs
      `(("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)
+       ("glib:bin" ,glib "bin")
        ("gobject-introspection" ,gobject-introspection)
        ("intltool" ,intltool)))
     (home-page "https://wiki.gnome.org/Libpeas")
@@ -1138,6 +1139,7 @@ controls using the Bonobo component framework.")
        ("libxml2" ,libxml2)))
     (native-inputs
      `(("intltool" ,intltool)
+       ("glib" ,glib "bin")
        ("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)))
     (home-page "https://developer.gnome.org/goffice/")
     (synopsis "Document-centric objects and utilities")
@@ -1187,6 +1189,7 @@ controls using the Bonobo component framework.")
        ("zlib" ,zlib)))
     (native-inputs
      `(("intltool" ,intltool)
+       ("glib:bin" ,glib "bin")
        ("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)))
     (home-page "http://www.gnumeric.org")
     (synopsis "Spreadsheet application")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/libftdi.scm b/gnu/packages/libftdi.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e8100ce29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gnu/packages/libftdi.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
+;;; Copyright © 2014 Manolis Fragkiskos Ragkousis <manolis837@gmail.com>
+;;;
+;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
+;;;
+;;; GNU Guix is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+;;; under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+;;; the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at
+;;; your option) any later version.
+;;;
+;;; GNU Guix is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+;;; WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+;;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+;;; GNU General Public License for more details.
+;;;
+;;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+;;; along with GNU Guix.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+(define-module (gnu packages libftdi)
+  #:use-module (guix licenses)
+  #:use-module (guix download)
+  #:use-module (guix packages)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages libusb)
+  #:use-module (guix build-system cmake))
+
+(define-public libftdi
+  (package
+    (name "libftdi")
+    (version "1.1")
+    (source (origin
+              (method url-fetch)
+              (uri (string-append
+                    "http://www.intra2net.com/en/developer/libftdi/download/libftdi1-"
+                    version ".tar.bz2"))
+              (sha256
+               (base32
+                "088yh8pxd6q53ssqndydcw1dkq51cjqyahc03lm6iip22cdazcf0"))))
+    (build-system cmake-build-system)
+    (native-inputs
+     `(("libusb" ,libusb)))
+    (home-page "http://www.intra2net.com")
+    (synopsis "FTDI USB driver with bitbang mode")
+    (description
+     "libFTDI is a library to talk to FTDI chips: FT232BM,
+FT245BM, FT2232C, FT2232D, FT245R and FT232H including the popular
+bitbangmode.")
+    (license lgpl2.1+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/linux.scm b/gnu/packages/linux.scm
index 09d123a08d..3ffe2a4cdd 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/linux.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/linux.scm
@@ -1273,7 +1273,18 @@ to use Linux' inotify mechanism, which allows file accesses to be monitored.")
        ("zlib" ,guix:zlib)))
     (arguments
      `(#:tests? #f ; FIXME: Investigate test failures
-       #:configure-flags '("--with-xz" "--with-zlib")))
+       #:configure-flags '("--with-xz" "--with-zlib")
+       #:phases (alist-cons-after
+                 'install 'install-modprobe&co
+                 (lambda* (#:key outputs #:allow-other-keys)
+                   (let* ((out (assoc-ref outputs "out"))
+                          (bin (string-append out "/bin")))
+                     (for-each (lambda (tool)
+                                 (symlink "kmod"
+                                          (string-append bin "/" tool)))
+                               '("insmod" "rmmod" "lsmod" "modprobe"
+                                 "modinfo" "depmod"))))
+                 %standard-phases)))
     (home-page "https://www.kernel.org/")
     (synopsis "Kernel module tools")
     (description "kmod is a set of tools to handle common tasks with Linux
diff --git a/gnu/packages/mail.scm b/gnu/packages/mail.scm
index d9c847d4ce..7bdd81b4c8 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/mail.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/mail.scm
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ repository and Maildir/IMAP as LOCAL repository.")
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (native-inputs
      `(("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)
+       ("glib" ,glib "bin")             ; for gtester
        ("texinfo" ,texinfo)))
     ;; TODO: Add webkit and gtk to build the mug GUI.
     (inputs
diff --git a/gnu/packages/nano.scm b/gnu/packages/nano.scm
index 73053513d5..1bb6fea889 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/nano.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/nano.scm
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 (define-public nano
   (package
     (name "nano")
-    (version "2.3.4")
+    (version "2.3.6")
     (source
      (origin
       (method url-fetch)
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
                           version ".tar.gz"))
       (sha256
        (base32
-        "1hcqv5yam4pkqx1sviigikzvd7n1pz6lwp7lzpdzagck9fgi4x0p"))))
+        "0d4ml0v9yi37pjs211xs38w9whsj6530wz3kmrvwgh8jigqz6jx7"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (inputs
      `(("gettext" ,gnu-gettext)
diff --git a/gnu/packages/package-management.scm b/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
index cf808970ce..66e71df284 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
@@ -34,17 +34,17 @@
   #:use-module (gnu packages gettext)
   #:use-module (gnu packages texinfo))
 
-(define-public guix-0.6
+(define guix-0.7
   (package
     (name "guix")
-    (version "0.6")
+    (version "0.7")
     (source (origin
              (method url-fetch)
              (uri (string-append "ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/guix/guix-"
                                  version ".tar.gz"))
              (sha256
               (base32
-               "01xw51wizhsk827w4xp79k2b6dxjaviw04r6rbrb85qdxnwg6k9n"))))
+               "05r7bsjgc0a4m7yy433n3c1dlv2yqlf3qpwlhayn9djhpp2q1ssb"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (arguments
      `(#:configure-flags (list
@@ -109,10 +109,12 @@ upgrades and roll-backs, per-user profiles, and much more. It is based on the
 Nix package manager.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
-(define-public guix
+(define-public guix guix-0.7)
+
+(define-public guix-devel
   ;; Development version of Guix.
   (let ((commit "0ae8c15"))
-    (package (inherit guix-0.6)
+    (package (inherit guix-0.7)
       (version (string-append "0.6." commit))
       (source (origin
                 (method git-fetch)
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ Nix package manager.")
                  (base32
                   "1y6mwzwsjdxbfibqypb55dix371rifhfz0bygfr8k868lcdsawic"))))
       (arguments
-       (substitute-keyword-arguments (package-arguments guix-0.6)
+       (substitute-keyword-arguments (package-arguments guix-0.7)
          ((#:phases phases)
           `(alist-cons-before
             'configure 'bootstrap
@@ -160,4 +162,4 @@ Nix package manager.")
          ("gettext" ,gnu-gettext)
          ("texinfo" ,texinfo)
          ("graphviz" ,graphviz)
-         ,@(package-native-inputs guix-0.6))))))
+         ,@(package-native-inputs guix-0.7))))))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/parallel.scm b/gnu/packages/parallel.scm
index cf160d07b6..a4755e043d 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/parallel.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/parallel.scm
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 (define-public parallel
   (package
     (name "parallel")
-    (version "20140622")
+    (version "20140722")
     (source
      (origin
       (method url-fetch)
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
                           version ".tar.bz2"))
       (sha256
        (base32
-        "0frlp645yghnwq8x7dk8pdm6id1mqkkh7w48mcbpd04pw225gljq"))))
+        "165vf8hpl47z38aswsll1284l8xa9a8jwx3a3d2rzshm9yzbiq5n"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (inputs `(("perl" ,perl)))
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/module-init-tools-moduledir.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/module-init-tools-moduledir.patch
index 68d7988f53..08f03d1cc4 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/patches/module-init-tools-moduledir.patch
+++ b/gnu/packages/patches/module-init-tools-moduledir.patch
@@ -2,17 +2,11 @@ This patch changes 'modprobe' & co. so they honor the 'LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY'
 environment variable, rather than looking for modules exclusively in
 /lib/modules.
 
-Patch by David Guibert, from Nixpkgs; adjusted to use 'LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY'
-rather than 'MODULE_DIR' as the variable name.
-
-commit cf2c95edb7918bc658f6cae93793c1949fc9cb6e
-Author: David Guibert <david.guibert@gmail.com>
-Date:   Fri Aug 5 14:20:12 2011 +0200
-
-    introduce module-dir
+Original patch by David Guibert, from Nixpkgs; adjusted to use
+'LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY' rather than 'MODULE_DIR' as the variable name.
 
 diff --git a/depmod.c b/depmod.c
-index a1d2f8c..9362a35 100644
+index a1d2f8c..ff579c7 100644
 --- a/depmod.c
 +++ b/depmod.c
 @@ -48,9 +48,6 @@
@@ -38,26 +32,30 @@ index a1d2f8c..9362a35 100644
  	}
  
 +        if((module_dir = getenv("LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY")) == NULL) {
-+                module_dir = "/lib/modules/";
++                module_dir = "/lib/modules";
 +        }
 +
  	while ((line = getline_wrapped(cfile, &linenum)) != NULL) {
  		char *ptr = line;
  		char *cmd, *modname;
-@@ -1550,7 +1552,7 @@ static int parse_config_file(const char *filename,
+@@ -1549,8 +1551,8 @@ static int parse_config_file(const char *filename,
+ 							     0, *search);
  					continue;
  				}
- 				nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s/%s", basedir,
+-				nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s/%s", basedir,
 -					MODULE_DIR, kernelversion, search_path);
++				nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s/%s/%s", basedir,
 +					module_dir, kernelversion, search_path);
  				len = strlen(dirname);
  				*search = add_search(dirname, len, *search);
  				free(dirname);
-@@ -1565,7 +1567,7 @@ static int parse_config_file(const char *filename,
+@@ -1564,8 +1566,8 @@ static int parse_config_file(const char *filename,
+ 			if (!regex_match(kernelversion, (const char *)version))
  				continue;
  
- 			nofail_asprintf(&pathname, "%s%s%s/%s/%s.ko", basedir,
+-			nofail_asprintf(&pathname, "%s%s%s/%s/%s.ko", basedir,
 -				MODULE_DIR, kernelversion, subdir, modname);
++			nofail_asprintf(&pathname, "%s%s/%s/%s/%s.ko", basedir,
 +				module_dir, kernelversion, subdir, modname);
  
  			*overrides = add_override(pathname, *overrides);
@@ -76,24 +74,26 @@ index a1d2f8c..9362a35 100644
  
 -	nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s", basedir, MODULE_DIR, version);
 +        if((module_dir = getenv("LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY")) == NULL) {
-+                module_dir = "/lib/modules/";
++                module_dir = "/lib/modules";
 +        }
 +
-+	nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s", basedir, module_dir, version);
++	nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s/%s", basedir, module_dir, version);
  
  	if (maybe_all) {
  		if (!doing_stdout && !depfile_out_of_date(dirname))
-@@ -1850,7 +1857,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+@@ -1849,8 +1856,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+ 		char *dirname;
  		size_t len;
  
- 		nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s/updates", basedir,
+-		nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s%s/updates", basedir,
 -				MODULE_DIR, version);
++		nofail_asprintf(&dirname, "%s%s/%s/updates", basedir,
 +				module_dir, version);
  		len = strlen(dirname);
  		search = add_search(dirname, len, search);
  	}
 diff --git a/modinfo.c b/modinfo.c
-index 1dd8469..67b1041 100644
+index 1dd8469..6a1865b 100644
 --- a/modinfo.c
 +++ b/modinfo.c
 @@ -19,9 +19,6 @@
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ index 1dd8469..67b1041 100644
 + 	char *module_dir;
 +
 +        if((module_dir = getenv("LINUX_MODULE_DIRECTORY")) == NULL) {
-+                module_dir = "/lib/modules/";
++                module_dir = "/lib/modules";
 +        }
  
  	if (strchr(name, '.') || strchr(name, '/')) {
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ index 1dd8469..67b1041 100644
  	/* Search for it in modules.dep. */
  	nofail_asprintf(&depname, "%s/%s", moddir, "modules.dep");
 diff --git a/modprobe.c b/modprobe.c
-index 5464f45..d9fbf9d 100644
+index 5464f45..cb57917 100644
 --- a/modprobe.c
 +++ b/modprobe.c
 @@ -86,10 +86,6 @@ typedef enum
diff --git a/gnu/packages/texlive.scm b/gnu/packages/texlive.scm
index b136c99979..57a250cba2 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/texlive.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/texlive.scm
@@ -115,6 +115,11 @@
          "--with-system-xpdf"
          "--with-system-zlib"
          "--with-system-zziplib")
+
+      ;; Disable tests on mips64 to cope with a failure of luajiterr.test.
+      ;; XXX FIXME fix luajit properly on mips64.
+      #:tests? ,(not (equal? "mips64el-linux" (or (%current-target-system)
+                                                  (%current-system))))
       #:phases
        (alist-cons-after
         'install 'postinst
diff --git a/gnu/packages/video.scm b/gnu/packages/video.scm
index 075113ca9d..8850543c1d 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/video.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/video.scm
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@
                       "--disable-armv6t2"
                       "--disable-vfp"
                       "--disable-neon"
-                      "--disable-vis"
                       "--disable-mips32r2"
                       "--disable-mipsdspr1"
                       "--disable-mipsdspr2"
diff --git a/gnu/services/avahi.scm b/gnu/services/avahi.scm
index e8da6be5f5..48a2c75927 100644
--- a/gnu/services/avahi.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/avahi.scm
@@ -96,7 +96,8 @@ sockets."
                     (mkdir-p "/var/run/avahi-daemon")))
 
       (user-groups (list (user-group
-                          (name "avahi"))))
+                          (name "avahi")
+                          (system? #t))))
       (user-accounts (list (user-account
                             (name "avahi")
                             (group "avahi")
diff --git a/gnu/services/base.scm b/gnu/services/base.scm
index 55ee5c4b08..e1d247e8d3 100644
--- a/gnu/services/base.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/base.scm
@@ -25,10 +25,12 @@
   #:use-module (gnu system linux)                 ; 'pam-service', etc.
   #:use-module (gnu packages admin)
   #:use-module ((gnu packages linux)
-                #:select (udev kbd))
+                #:select (udev kbd e2fsprogs))
   #:use-module ((gnu packages base)
                 #:select (glibc-final))
   #:use-module (gnu packages package-management)
+  #:use-module ((guix build linux-initrd)
+                #:select (mount-flags->bit-mask))
   #:use-module (guix gexp)
   #:use-module (guix monads)
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
@@ -96,11 +98,14 @@ This service must be the root of the service dependency graph so that its
       (respawn? #f)))))
 
 (define* (file-system-service device target type
-                              #:key (check? #t) options (title 'any))
+                              #:key (flags '()) (check? #t)
+                              create-mount-point? options (title 'any))
   "Return a service that mounts DEVICE on TARGET as a file system TYPE with
 OPTIONS.  TITLE is a symbol specifying what kind of name DEVICE is: 'label for
 a partition label, 'device for a device file name, or 'any.  When CHECK? is
-true, check the file system before mounting it."
+true, check the file system before mounting it.  When CREATE-MOUNT-POINT? is
+true, create TARGET if it does not exist yet.  FLAGS is a list of symbols,
+such as 'read-only' etc."
   (with-monad %store-monad
     (return
      (service
@@ -109,10 +114,22 @@ true, check the file system before mounting it."
       (documentation "Check, mount, and unmount the given file system.")
       (start #~(lambda args
                  (let ((device (canonicalize-device-spec #$device '#$title)))
+                   #$(if create-mount-point?
+                         #~(mkdir-p #$target)
+                         #~#t)
                    #$(if check?
-                         #~(check-file-system device #$type)
+                         #~(begin
+                             ;; Make sure fsck.ext2 & co. can be found.
+                             (setenv "PATH"
+                                     (string-append
+                                      #$e2fsprogs "/sbin:"
+                                      "/run/current-system/profile/sbin:"
+                                      (getenv "PATH")))
+                             (check-file-system device #$type))
                          #~#t)
-                   (mount device #$target #$type 0 #$options))
+                   (mount device #$target #$type
+                          #$(mount-flags->bit-mask flags)
+                          #$options))
                  #t))
       (stop #~(lambda args
                 ;; Normally there are no processes left at this point, so
@@ -455,6 +472,7 @@ passed to @command{guix-daemon}."
              (user-accounts accounts)
              (user-groups (list (user-group
                                  (name builder-group)
+                                 (system? #t)
 
                                  ;; Use a fixed GID so that we can create the
                                  ;; store with the right owner.
@@ -466,8 +484,13 @@ passed to @command{guix-daemon}."
   (with-monad %store-monad
     (return (service
              (provision '(udev))
+
+             ;; Udev needs /dev to be a 'devtmpfs' mount so that new device
+             ;; nodes can be added: see
+             ;; <http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/development/chapter07/udev.html>.
              (requirement '(root-file-system))
-             (documentation "Populate the /dev directory.")
+
+             (documentation "Populate the /dev directory, dynamically.")
              (start #~(lambda ()
                         (define udevd
                           (string-append #$udev "/libexec/udev/udevd"))
diff --git a/gnu/services/dbus.scm b/gnu/services/dbus.scm
index 6076317ee5..5da7f14605 100644
--- a/gnu/services/dbus.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/dbus.scm
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ and policy files.  For example, to allow avahi-daemon to use the system bus,
                       (string-append "--config-file=" #$conf "/system.conf"))))
       (stop #~(make-kill-destructor))
       (user-groups (list (user-group
-                          (name "messagebus"))))
+                          (name "messagebus")
+                          (system? #t))))
       (user-accounts (list (user-account
                             (name "messagebus")
                             (group "messagebus")
diff --git a/gnu/services/dmd.scm b/gnu/services/dmd.scm
index 74adb27885..dfda2708f5 100644
--- a/gnu/services/dmd.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/dmd.scm
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 
           (use-modules (ice-9 ftw)
                        (guix build syscalls)
+                       (guix build utils)
                        ((guix build linux-initrd)
                         #:select (check-file-system canonicalize-device-spec)))
 
diff --git a/gnu/services/networking.scm b/gnu/services/networking.scm
index 502b0d85f1..6a7d194659 100644
--- a/gnu/services/networking.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/networking.scm
@@ -107,7 +107,8 @@ policy) as the @code{tor} unprivileged user."
       (stop #~(make-kill-destructor))
 
       (user-groups   (list (user-group
-                            (name "tor"))))
+                            (name "tor")
+                            (system? #t))))
       (user-accounts (list (user-account
                             (name "tor")
                             (group "tor")
diff --git a/gnu/services/xorg.scm b/gnu/services/xorg.scm
index 7ca0d3f7db..a34129a8ed 100644
--- a/gnu/services/xorg.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/xorg.scm
@@ -97,7 +97,12 @@ EndSection
     #~(begin
         (use-modules (ice-9 match))
 
-        ;; TODO: Check for ~/.xsession.
+        ;; First, try to run ~/.xsession.
+        (let* ((home (getenv "HOME"))
+               (file (string-append home "/.xsession")))
+          (false-if-exception (execl file file)))
+
+        ;; Then try a pre-configured session type.
         (match (command-line)
           ((_ "ratpoison")
            (execl (string-append #$ratpoison "/bin/ratpoison")))
@@ -146,10 +151,15 @@ reboot_cmd " dmd "/sbin/reboot
       (provision '(xorg-server))
       (requirement '(user-processes host-name udev))
       (start
-       #~(make-forkexec-constructor
-          (list (string-append #$slim "/bin/slim") "-nodaemon")
-          #:environment-variables
-          (list (string-append "SLIM_CFGFILE=" #$slim.cfg))))
+       #~(lambda ()
+           ;; A stale lock file can prevent SLiM from starting, so remove it
+           ;; to be on the safe side.
+           (false-if-exception (delete-file "/var/run/slim.lock"))
+
+           (fork+exec-command
+            (list (string-append #$slim "/bin/slim") "-nodaemon")
+            #:environment-variables
+            (list (string-append "SLIM_CFGFILE=" #$slim.cfg)))))
       (stop #~(make-kill-destructor))
       (respawn? #t)
       (pam-services
diff --git a/gnu/system.scm b/gnu/system.scm
index 20942ec7f0..68f9438693 100644
--- a/gnu/system.scm
+++ b/gnu/system.scm
@@ -181,11 +181,13 @@ as 'needed-for-boot'."
   (sequence %store-monad
             (map (match-lambda
                   (($ <file-system> device title target type flags opts
-                                    #f check?)
+                                    #f check? create?)
                    (file-system-service device target type
                                         #:title title
                                         #:check? check?
-                                        #:options opts)))
+                                        #:create-mount-point? create?
+                                        #:options opts
+                                        #:flags flags)))
                  file-systems)))
 
 (define (essential-services os)
@@ -361,7 +363,8 @@ alias ll='ls -l'
 'active-groups'."
   #~(list #$(user-group-name group)
           #$(user-group-password group)
-          #$(user-group-id group)))
+          #$(user-group-id group)
+          #$(user-group-system? group)))
 
 (define (user-account->gexp account)
   "Turn ACCOUNT, a <user-account> object, into a list-valued gexp suitable for
diff --git a/gnu/system/file-systems.scm b/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
index 7852a6ab26..48c4fc7e77 100644
--- a/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
@@ -28,9 +28,16 @@
             file-system-needed-for-boot?
             file-system-flags
             file-system-options
+            file-system-check?
+            file-system-create-mount-point?
 
             %fuse-control-file-system
-            %binary-format-file-system))
+            %binary-format-file-system
+            %shared-memory-file-system
+            %pseudo-terminal-file-system
+            %devtmpfs-file-system
+
+            %base-file-systems))
 
 ;;; Commentary:
 ;;;
@@ -54,7 +61,9 @@
   (needed-for-boot? file-system-needed-for-boot?  ; Boolean
                     (default #f))
   (check?           file-system-check?            ; Boolean
-                    (default #t)))
+                    (default #t))
+  (create-mount-point? file-system-create-mount-point? ; Boolean
+                       (default #f)))
 
 (define %fuse-control-file-system
   ;; Control file system for Linux' file systems in user-space (FUSE).
@@ -72,4 +81,51 @@
     (type "binfmt_misc")
     (check? #f)))
 
+(define %devtmpfs-file-system
+  ;; /dev as a 'devtmpfs' file system, needed for udev.
+  (file-system
+    (device "none")
+    (mount-point "/dev")
+    (type "devtmpfs")
+    (check? #f)
+
+    ;; Mount it from the initrd so /dev/pts & co. can then be mounted over it.
+    (needed-for-boot? #t)))
+
+(define %tty-gid
+  ;; ID of the 'tty' group.  Allocate it statically to make it easy to refer
+  ;; to it from here and from the 'tty' group definitions.
+  996)
+
+(define %pseudo-terminal-file-system
+  ;; The pseudo-terminal file system.  It needs to be mounted so that
+  ;; statfs(2) returns DEVPTS_SUPER_MAGIC like libc's getpt(3) expects (and
+  ;; thus openpty(3) and its users, such as xterm.)
+  (file-system
+    (device "none")
+    (mount-point "/dev/pts")
+    (type "devpts")
+    (check? #f)
+    (needed-for-boot? #f)
+    (create-mount-point? #t)
+    (options (string-append "gid=" (number->string %tty-gid) ",mode=620"))))
+
+(define %shared-memory-file-system
+  ;; Shared memory.
+  (file-system
+    (device "tmpfs")
+    (mount-point "/dev/shm")
+    (type "tmpfs")
+    (check? #f)
+    (flags '(no-suid no-dev))
+    (options "size=50%")                         ;TODO: make size configurable
+    (create-mount-point? #t)))
+
+(define %base-file-systems
+  ;; List of basic file systems to be mounted.  Note that /proc and /sys are
+  ;; currently mounted by the initrd.
+  (list %devtmpfs-file-system
+        %pseudo-terminal-file-system
+        %shared-memory-file-system))
+
 ;;; file-systems.scm ends here
diff --git a/gnu/system/install.scm b/gnu/system/install.scm
index 18fd587ead..567934e4c1 100644
--- a/gnu/system/install.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/install.scm
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
   #:use-module (gnu)
   #:use-module (guix gexp)
   #:use-module (guix monads)
+  #:use-module ((guix store) #:select (%store-prefix))
   #:use-module (gnu packages linux)
   #:use-module (gnu packages package-management)
   #:use-module (gnu packages disk)
@@ -42,6 +43,99 @@ manual."
                          "-f" (string-append #$guix "/share/info/guix.info")
                          "-n" "System Installation")))
 
+(define %backing-directory
+  ;; Sub-directory used as the backing store for copy-on-write.
+  "/tmp/guix-inst")
+
+(define (make-cow-store target)
+  "Return a gexp that makes the store copy-on-write, using TARGET as the
+backing store.  This is useful when TARGET is on a hard disk, whereas the
+current store is on a RAM disk."
+  (define (unionfs read-only read-write mount-point)
+    ;; Make MOUNT-POINT the union of READ-ONLY and READ-WRITE.
+
+    ;; Note: in the command below, READ-WRITE appears before READ-ONLY so that
+    ;; it is considered a "higher-level branch", as per unionfs-fuse(8),
+    ;; thereby allowing files existing on READ-ONLY to be copied over to
+    ;; READ-WRITE.
+    #~(fork+exec-command
+       (list (string-append #$unionfs-fuse "/bin/unionfs")
+             "-o"
+             "cow,allow_other,use_ino,max_files=65536,nonempty"
+             (string-append #$read-write "=RW:" #$read-only "=RO")
+             #$mount-point)))
+
+  (define (set-store-permissions directory)
+    ;; Set the right perms on DIRECTORY to use it as the store.
+    #~(begin
+        (chown #$directory 0 30000)             ;use the fixed 'guixbuild' GID
+        (chmod #$directory #o1775)))
+
+  #~(begin
+      (unless (file-exists? "/.ro-store")
+        (mkdir "/.ro-store")
+        (mount #$(%store-prefix) "/.ro-store" "none"
+               (logior MS_BIND MS_RDONLY)))
+
+      (let ((rw-dir (string-append target #$%backing-directory)))
+        (mkdir-p rw-dir)
+        (mkdir-p "/.rw-store")
+        #$(set-store-permissions #~rw-dir)
+        #$(set-store-permissions "/.rw-store")
+
+        ;; Mount the union, then atomically make it the store.
+        (and #$(unionfs "/.ro-store" #~rw-dir "/.rw-store")
+             (begin
+               (sleep 1) ;XXX: wait for unionfs to be ready
+               (mount "/.rw-store" #$(%store-prefix) "" MS_MOVE)
+               (rmdir "/.rw-store"))))))
+
+(define (cow-store-service)
+  "Return a service that makes the store copy-on-write, such that writes go to
+the user's target storage device rather than on the RAM disk."
+  ;; See <http://bugs.gnu.org/18061> for the initial report.
+  (with-monad %store-monad
+    (return (service
+             (requirement '(root-file-system user-processes))
+             (provision '(cow-store))
+             (documentation
+              "Make the store copy-on-write, with writes going to \
+the given target.")
+             (start #~(case-lambda
+                        ((target)
+                         #$(make-cow-store #~target)
+                         target)
+                        (else
+                         ;; Do nothing, and mark the service as stopped.
+                         #f)))
+             (stop #~(lambda (target)
+                       ;; Delete the temporary directory, but leave everything
+                       ;; mounted as there may still be processes using it
+                       ;; since 'user-processes' doesn't depend on us.
+                       (delete-file-recursively
+                        (string-append target #$%backing-directory))))))))
+
+(define (configuration-template-service)
+  "Return a dummy service whose purpose is to install an operating system
+configuration template file in the installation system."
+
+  (define local-template
+    "/etc/configuration-template.scm")
+  (define template
+    (search-path %load-path "gnu/system/os-config.tmpl"))
+
+  (mlet %store-monad ((template (interned-file template)))
+    (return (service
+             (requirement '(root-file-system))
+             (provision '(os-config-template))
+             (documentation
+              "This dummy service installs an OS configuration template.")
+             (start #~(const #t))
+             (stop  #~(const #f))
+             (activate
+              #~(unless (file-exists? #$local-template)
+                  (copy-file #$template #$local-template)))))))
+
 (define (installation-services)
   "Return the list services for the installation image."
   (let ((motd (text-file "motd" "
@@ -71,6 +165,9 @@ You have been warned.  Thanks for being so brave.
                             #:auto-login "guest"
                             #:login-program (log-to-info))
 
+          ;; Documentation add-on.
+          (configuration-template-service)
+
           ;; A bunch of 'root' ttys.
           (normal-tty "tty3")
           (normal-tty "tty4")
@@ -88,6 +185,10 @@ You have been warned.  Thanks for being so brave.
           ;; Start udev so that useful device nodes are available.
           (udev-service)
 
+          ;; Add the 'cow-store' service, which users have to start manually
+          ;; since it takes the installation directory as an argument.
+          (cow-store-service)
+
           ;; Install Unicode support and a suitable font.
           (console-font-service "tty1")
           (console-font-service "tty2")
@@ -117,10 +218,11 @@ Use Alt-F2 for documentation.
     (file-systems
      ;; Note: the disk image build code overrides this root file system with
      ;; the appropriate one.
-     (list (file-system
+     (cons (file-system
              (mount-point "/")
              (device "gnu-disk-image")
-             (type "ext4"))))
+             (type "ext4"))
+           %base-file-systems))
 
     (users (list (user-account
                   (name "guest")
diff --git a/gnu/system/os-config.tmpl b/gnu/system/os-config.tmpl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ad58606f67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gnu/system/os-config.tmpl
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+;; This is an operating system configuration template.
+
+(use-modules (gnu))
+
+(operating-system
+  (host-name "antelope")
+  (timezone "Europe/Paris")
+  (locale "en_US.UTF-8")
+
+  ;; Assuming /dev/sdX is the target hard disk, and "root" is
+  ;; the label of the target root file system.
+  (bootloader (grub-configuration (device "/dev/sdX")))
+  (file-systems (cons (file-system
+                        (device "root")
+                        (title 'label)
+                        (mount-point "/")
+                        (type "ext4"))
+                      %base-file-systems))
+
+  ;; This is where user accounts are specified.  The "root"
+  ;; account is implicit, and is initially created with the
+  ;; empty password.
+  (users (list (user-account
+                (name "alice")
+                (comment "Bob's sister")
+                (group "users")
+
+                ;; Adding the account to the "wheel" group
+                ;; makes it a sudoer.
+                (supplementary-groups '("wheel"))
+                (home-directory "/home/alice")))))
diff --git a/gnu/system/shadow.scm b/gnu/system/shadow.scm
index ae6eac9a5b..5d638398d1 100644
--- a/gnu/system/shadow.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/shadow.scm
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
   #:use-module (guix records)
   #:use-module (guix gexp)
   #:use-module (guix monads)
+  #:use-module ((gnu system file-systems)
+                #:select (%tty-gid))
   #:use-module ((gnu packages admin)
                 #:select (shadow))
   #:use-module (gnu packages bash)
@@ -41,6 +43,7 @@
             user-group-name
             user-group-password
             user-group-id
+            user-group-system?
 
             default-skeletons
             skeleton-directory
@@ -73,28 +76,33 @@
   user-group?
   (name           user-group-name)
   (password       user-group-password (default #f))
-  (id             user-group-id (default #f)))
+  (id             user-group-id (default #f))
+  (system?        user-group-system?              ; Boolean
+                  (default #f)))
 
 (define %base-groups
   ;; Default set of groups.
-  (list (user-group (name "root") (id 0))
-        (user-group (name "wheel"))               ; root-like users
-        (user-group (name "users"))               ; normal users
-        (user-group (name "nogroup"))             ; for daemons etc.
+  (let-syntax ((system-group (syntax-rules ()
+                               ((_ args ...)
+                                (user-group (system? #t) args ...)))))
+    (list (system-group (name "root") (id 0))
+          (system-group (name "wheel"))              ; root-like users
+          (system-group (name "users"))              ; normal users
+          (system-group (name "nogroup"))            ; for daemons etc.
 
-        ;; The following groups are conventionally used by things like udev to
-        ;; control access to hardware devices.
-        (user-group (name "tty"))
-        (user-group (name "dialout"))
-        (user-group (name "kmem"))
-        (user-group (name "video"))
-        (user-group (name "audio"))
-        (user-group (name "netdev"))              ; used in avahi-dbus.conf
-        (user-group (name "lp"))
-        (user-group (name "disk"))
-        (user-group (name "floppy"))
-        (user-group (name "cdrom"))
-        (user-group (name "tape"))))
+          ;; The following groups are conventionally used by things like udev to
+          ;; control access to hardware devices.
+          (system-group (name "tty") (id %tty-gid))
+          (system-group (name "dialout"))
+          (system-group (name "kmem"))
+          (system-group (name "video"))
+          (system-group (name "audio"))
+          (system-group (name "netdev"))             ; used in avahi-dbus.conf
+          (system-group (name "lp"))
+          (system-group (name "disk"))
+          (system-group (name "floppy"))
+          (system-group (name "cdrom"))
+          (system-group (name "tape")))))
 
 (define (default-skeletons)
   "Return the default skeleton files for /etc/skel.  These files are copied by