[wip] create maintainers/categories-set.nix

[AndersonTorres]

As a proof-of-concept for NixOS/rfcs#146

Description of changes

Things done

• Built on platform(s)
  • x86_64-linux
  • aarch64-linux
  • x86_64-darwin
  • aarch64-darwin
• For non-Linux: Is sandbox = true set in nix.conf? (See Nix manual)
• Tested, as applicable:
  • NixOS test(s) (look inside nixos/tests)
  • and/or package tests
  • or, for functions and "core" functionality, tests in lib/tests or pkgs/test
  • made sure NixOS tests are linked to the relevant packages
• Tested compilation of all packages that depend on this change using nix-shell -p nixpkgs-review --run "nixpkgs-review rev HEAD". Note: all changes have to be committed, also see nixpkgs-review usage
• Tested basic functionality of all binary files (usually in ./result/bin/)
• 23.05 Release Notes (or backporting 22.11 Release notes)
  • (Package updates) Added a release notes entry if the change is major or breaking
  • (Module updates) Added a release notes entry if the change is significant
  • (Module addition) Added a release notes entry if adding a new NixOS module
• Fits CONTRIBUTING.md.

[7c6f434c]

I guess what is needed is also adding category to the meta attribute whitelist?

[AndersonTorres]

Isn't this an ofborg-specific config?

[7c6f434c]

There is a list in the manual, and there is stdenv/generic/check-meta.nix

[AndersonTorres]

Here is the current listing of files inside pkgs directory. They can be useful for filling the categories set.

listagem.txt

[AndersonTorres]

@7c6f434c can you please check this again?

[7c6f434c]

Suggested change

	The categories of the package. A list of attributes from the attribute set defined in [`nixpkgs/lib/categories-set.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/lib/categories-set.nix).
	The `meta.categories` attribute contains the categories of the package. A list of attributes from the attribute set defined in [`nixpkgs/lib/categories-set.nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/lib/categories-set.nix).

[7c6f434c]

I still think the attribute name should be made explicit like in other entries.

[AndersonTorres]

Can you explain? I'm not understanding.

[7c6f434c]

Some sections are titled with exact (including capitalisation) name of the meta attribute. Some sections include the full name in the text near the beginning. Some do both.

The proposed section here does neither, thus my suggestion to add meta.categories into the text of the section.

[AndersonTorres]

Done.

[AndersonTorres]

@7c6f434c what do you think of the example of xa assembler given above?

[7c6f434c]

I think it works fine as an example, but it feels a bit weird to add specifically «assembler» and not «compiler»

[AndersonTorres]

I think it works fine as an example, but it feels a bit weird to add specifically «assembler» and not «compiler»

Well, the idea is that meta.categories allows to be more specific when compared with filesystem classification.
xa is an assembler, not a compiler.

OK, assemblers are compilers in a broader sense; however, this would be a case for relatedCategories (in the example, development).

Also, it shows the basic ideas of the data structure.

[7c6f434c]

«assembler → compiler → development» maybe with the transitive «assembler → development» would look natural (with the implication that we don't fill everything, it is just a demonstration), or as you proposed initially «audio → audioVideo» and tag some minor sound processing application like snd.

[AndersonTorres]

I suggest, then, to never fill the "transitive closure" of every category, in the sense of e.g. assembler.relatedCategories is not filled with compiler.relatedCategories.

[AndersonTorres]

Now it should work as a POC

[7c6f434c]

(We will obviously need a bit more process documentation in the manual, but this will need to take into account the choices made in the RFC process)

[7c6f434c]

Speaking of base categories, one thing definitionally not covered by Freedesktop is «data assets» — fonts, themes, icon packs, game levels (e.g. when the core is built on Hydra and unpacking a gigabyte of 3D models has empty hydraPlatforms), and other things one doesn't launch from an application menu.

[AndersonTorres]

check-meta conflicted, closing.