nix-ld VS nix-alien

You may be interested in `nix-ld`. https://github.com/Mic92/nix-ld

As I mentioned I used nix-index to build LD_LIBRARY_PATH. I believe I picked that up from nix-ld. The README on that page shows an example and mentions some tools (nix-autobahn, nix-alien, and nix-index) to help figure it out.

Hi guys, I really like NixOS. I also do not want to miss nix-ld, because it allows me to run "normal" Linux programs on nix.

As someone who has been using NixOS for a couple of years now, I really want to say how appreciative I am of everybody for making noticeable improvements to the system on a somewhat regular basis. The nix command keeps on adding great new features like flake templates and bundling as well as just being more user friendly (error messages, actionable hints, etc.) Additionally, tools like nix-ld [1] make nix more usable than ever with software from external sources. Things just keep on getting better for NixOS users!

Despite the reputation, I feel that NixOS or some derivative of it has the power to become the best distribution for non-technical users in the long run. What NixOS has done is effectively built an interface to every component of a modern Linux system, all that needs to be built is a user application to take advantage of it. Of course, there still needs be some improvements in Nix itself for it to blossom into its final form, but I really see a path to greatness here.

I have often thought about creating a simple unified Win2K-esq or BeOS-like X11 WM/DE specifically for NixOS but unfortunately I like the time/motivation.

[1] https://github.com/Mic92/nix-ld

Regarding the ld thing, I don't know if this is relevant but probably: https://github.com/Mic92/nix-ld

Have a look at nix-ld and nix-autobahn.

copy the extracted files over to the nix output dir, and patch-elf all the binaries to link to the nix-version of the dynamic lib.

This sounds more difficult than it is, the result will be a copied over binary file that has its “libc.so” and other dynamic libs replaced in the ELF-header with “/nix/store/hdjdewuieu737-libc/libc.so”. I recommend looking up a package in nixpkgs which has a similar install story, that’s the easiest way to write a new package.

In case you only want to run it locally https://github.com/thiagokokada/nix-alien and similar programs work fine with the binary.

You might be interested in tools like nix-alien which help, though to some extent it's always going to be an annoyance.

There's also nix-alien to run random binaries and nixos-fhs-compat to FHS your OS (might need some tweaking).