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nix-channel --list gives no output in my fresh NixOS installation. I used a VirtualBox appliance from https://nixos.org/nixos/download.html.

  1. Do I need to subscribe to a channel?
  2. Why aren't there any channels visible in the VirtualBox installation?
  3. I can install packages just fine, don't I need a channel for that?

I am a NixOS beginner and still trying to grasp the basic concepts.

edit: I was running nix-channel --list with user permissions, whereas sudo nix-channel --list listed a channel as expected...

somesoaccount
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2 Answers2

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If you run nix-channel --list as non-root user on a fresh installation of NixOS there will be no output.
That's because root's default channel (nixos) is also available for users. So nix-env called by user will use it.
So you can update both the system profile and user's pkgs (installed via nix-env -i).

JagaJaga
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You need a binary channel to install software in binary form, instead of building it from source.

It seems channels are not added in VB appliance.

See http://nixos.org/nixos/manual/sec-upgrading.html how to add one.

iElectric
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  • New packages are downloading from cache.nixos though. It seems like the image comes with a fixed nixpkgs and I need a channel if I want to update the nixpkgs (if that makes sense). – somesoaccount Sep 20 '15 at 11:17