With nix + home manager, you can use `mkOutOfStoreSymlink` to make symlinks between the dotfile repo and the target destination in `.config`. I've found this to be the most ergonomic way to have nix-managed dotfiles. Because the out-of-store dotfile repo is symlinked, you can make little changes to your system without doing the whole commit and switch dance.

For example, here's a snippet pulled from my dotfiles that does this for multiple dotfiles at once:

  home.file =
    builtins.mapAttrs
      (key: value: {
        # symlink ~/dotfiles/configs/{value} to ~/{key}
        source = config.lib.file.mkOutOfStoreSymlink "${config.home.homeDirectory}/dotfiles/configs/${value}";
      })
      {
        ".zshrc"                                    = "zsh/zshrc";
        ".p10k.zsh"                                 = "zsh/p10k.zsh";
        ".config/sway/config"                       = "sway/config";
        ".config/nvim/init.lua"                     = "nvim/init.lua";
      };

Oh right, I do this too!

At the same time it often feels like a veneer of control, like you can control exactly where to place the door, but what's in the messy room (like emacs profiles if you do that) might be hidden behind the very nice and solid door.

It's like in python projects I lock python3 and uv, and beyond that it's wild west. Still beats everything else, still feels a bit incomplete, and still feels somewhat unresolvable.

Caveat: This works for literal dotfiles in your repo but it doesn’t help you if you use nix declared config, e.g. programs.git

There is a choice of operating systems, which cannot be said about macs.

One does not even need a top-quality professional electric knife sharpener to produce an edge for kitchen work. An inexpensive 1500 grit whetstone suffices.

yes, you are right. Basically $15 is all you need, and certainly better for the environment.

I exhibited there, and I had a lot of fun. My friends co-hosting the noisebridge booth got a lot of folks to find a makerspace near them. Several general attendees told us that the very first time they had soldered was at Open Sauce, when putting together their badges. The event has positive impact, and I'm hoping it sticks around.

I would like to exhibit some of my nerd stuff, but the rules say that your booth most always be manned by someone. How then would I be able to visit other booths?

Find one or two people to exhibit your stuff alongside you. The event is more fun in a group.

This is not surprising, and further growth is inevitable. I am heavily involved in a local Linux users group, and the number of people switching away from Windows increases every year. Anecdotal, of course, but Microsoft's enshittification of Windows makes the argument in favor of a free OS easier every year too.

First-class Linux support is the reason that half the regulars in my local Linux Users Group have Frameworks. It's probably the most common laptop brand I see in my tech circle, and anecdotally I can say that it has eclipsed thinkpads in my specific community.

This is a fantastic article. It neatly summarizes several tricks that took me years to pick up.

Another useful trick to minimizing material in a print is to not print surfaces at all. Most of the mass in a print is concentrated in the shell. If the top and bottom surfaces are not particularly critical to the function of the part, then you can remove either surface. The slicer can still fill in the volume enclosed by these surfaces with infill. If you use a planar infill, such as a rectilinear, hexagonal, or triangular infill, the parts can look quite nice. This trick works particularly well on mostly flat parts.

I use two TPU parts printed in this manner daily: A phone case [0] and a relief strap for a pair of headphones [1].

[0] https://www.printables.com/model/615154-google-pixel-8-case

[1] https://www.printables.com/model/577575-hifiman-comfort-stra...

Wow, this phone is almost perfect - TRRS connector, uSD card, user-replaceable battery, and available in the United States. Not having an OLED panel might be a dealbreaker though.