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diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index 08d7a08ffa..482cc9942e 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -249,20 +249,52 @@ Coding Style @node Introduction @chapter Introduction +@cindex purpose GNU Guix@footnote{``Guix'' is pronounced like ``geeks'', or ``ɡiːks'' -using the international phonetic alphabet (IPA).} is a functional -package management tool for the GNU system. Package management consists -of all activities that relate to building packages from sources, -honoring their build-time and run-time dependencies, -installing packages in user environments, upgrading installed packages -to new versions or rolling back to a previous set, removing unused -software packages, etc. +using the international phonetic alphabet (IPA).} is a package +management tool for the GNU system. Guix makes it easy for unprivileged +users to install, upgrade, or remove packages, to roll back to a +previous package set, to build packages from source, and generally +assists with the creation and maintenance of software environments. + +@cindex user interfaces +Guix provides a command-line package management interface +(@pxref{Invoking guix package}), a set of command-line utilities +(@pxref{Utilities}), a visual user interface in Emacs (@pxref{Emacs +Interface}), as well as Scheme programming interfaces +(@pxref{Programming Interface}). +@cindex build daemon +Its @dfn{build daemon} is responsible for building packages on behalf of +users (@pxref{Setting Up the Daemon}) and for downloading pre-built +binaries from authorized sources (@pxref{Substitutes}). + +@cindex extensibility of the distribution +@cindex customization of packages +Guix includes package definitions for many GNU and non-GNU packages, all +of which @uref{https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html, respect the +user's computing freedom}. It is @emph{extensible}: users can write +their own package definitions (@pxref{Defining Packages}) and make them +available as independent package modules (@pxref{Package Modules}). It +is also @emph{customizable}: users can @emph{derive} specialized package +definitions from existing ones, including from the command line +(@pxref{Package Transformation Options}). + +@cindex Guix System Distribution +@cindex GuixSD +You can install GNU@tie{}Guix on top of an existing GNU/Linux system +where it complements the available tools without interference +(@pxref{Installation}), or you can use it as part of the standalone +@dfn{Guix System Distribution} or GuixSD (@pxref{GNU Distribution}). +With GNU@tie{}GuixSD, you @emph{declare} all aspects of the operating +system configuration and Guix takes care of instantiating the +configuration in a transactional, reproducible, and stateless fashion +(@pxref{System Configuration}). @cindex functional package management -The term @dfn{functional} refers to a specific package management +Under the hood, Guix implements the @dfn{functional package management} discipline pioneered by Nix (@pxref{Acknowledgments}). In Guix, the package build and installation process is seen -as a function, in the mathematical sense. That function takes inputs, +as a @emph{function}, in the mathematical sense. That function takes inputs, such as build scripts, a compiler, and libraries, and returns an installed package. As a pure function, its result depends solely on its inputs---for instance, it cannot refer to software or @@ -286,18 +318,6 @@ This approach is the foundation for the salient features of Guix: support for transactional package upgrade and rollback, per-user installation, and garbage collection of packages (@pxref{Features}). -Guix has a command-line interface, which allows users to build, install, -upgrade, and remove packages, as well as a Scheme programming interface. - -@cindex Guix System Distribution -@cindex GuixSD -Last but not least, Guix is used to build a distribution of the GNU -system, with many GNU and non-GNU free software packages. The Guix -System Distribution, or GNU@tie{}GuixSD, takes advantage of the core -properties of Guix at the system level. With GuixSD, users -@emph{declare} all aspects of the operating system configuration, and -Guix takes care of instantiating that configuration in a reproducible, -stateless fashion. @xref{GNU Distribution}. @c ********************************************************************* @node Installation @@ -1214,7 +1234,8 @@ In addition, any package transaction may be @emph{rolled back}. So, if, for example, an upgrade installs a new version of a package that turns out to have a serious bug, users may roll back to the previous instance of their profile, which was known to work well. Similarly, the global -system configuration is subject to transactional upgrades and roll-back +system configuration on GuixSD is subject to +transactional upgrades and roll-back (@pxref{Using the Configuration System}). All packages in the package store may be @emph{garbage-collected}. @@ -3878,9 +3899,10 @@ has an associated gexp compiler, such as a @code{<package>}. @node Utilities @chapter Utilities -This section describes tools primarily targeted at developers and users -who write new package definitions. They complement the Scheme -programming interface of Guix in a convenient way. +This section describes Guix command-line utilities. Some of them are +primarily targeted at developers and users who write new package +definitions, while others are more generally useful. They complement +the Scheme programming interface of Guix in a convenient way. @menu * Invoking guix build:: Building packages from the command line. |