Re: [PATCH] doc: Clarify need to update search paths on foreign distro (was Re: Feedback of the GNU Guix manual)

[Vagrant Cascadian]

On 2024-05-07, matt@excalamus.com wrote:
> #+begin_quote
> 6.7 L37 true for Guix System as well?
> The result of running ‘guix pull’ is a “profile” available under
> ‘~/.config/guix/current’ containing the latest Guix. Thus, make sure to
> add it to the beginning of your search path so that you use the latest
> version, and similarly for the Info manual (*note Documentation::):
>
> export PATH="$HOME/.config/guix/current/bin:$PATH"
> export INFOPATH="$HOME/.config/guix/current/share/info:$INFOPATH"
> #+end_quote
>
> As far as I know, exporting like this is only necessary on foreign distros.
>
> The attached patch makes this explicit.  It also provides information
> for people unfamiliar with the concept of a "search path" or how
> shells work by suggesting the exports be added to .bashrc and tries to
> clarify the consequences of not doing this.

If the foreign distro has /etc/profile.d/*guix.sh installed, as
implemented in the binary guix-install.sh script and also implemented in
the Debian packaging, manually adding this is also arguably not
necessary, unless they are using a shell that does not respect
/etc/profile.d ... which, to my knowledge, is no different from Guix
System really.

There is also the issue of logging out and back in again (or manually
adding the variables for one session), but that seems a little
tangential, and again, is no different for Guix System than on foreign
distros.

live well,
  vagrant

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