Subject: Re: [bug#43361] [PATCH] doc: Mention config.scm in reconfigure description

From: Ludovic Courtès <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2020 23:10:30 +0200

Hi,

Julien Lepiller <[email-masked]> skribis:

> this patch is a small change to the manual that should help at least
> one confused user from
> https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/550597/what-is-the-file-to-be-specified-in-guix-system-reconfigure
>
>>From dfa9439efbf1de7ffe281dac330a19c1e369e5d8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> From: Julien Lepiller <[email-masked]>
> Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2020 21:46:57 +0200
> Subject: [PATCH] doc: Mention config.scm in reconfigure description
>
> * doc/guix.texi (Invoking guix system): Mention `/etc/config.scm' in the
> description of guix system reconfigure.
> ---
>  doc/guix.texi | 8 ++++----
>  1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
> index a6e14ea177..c10387441e 100644
> --- a/doc/guix.texi
> +++ b/doc/guix.texi
> @@ -28919,10 +28919,10 @@ As for @command{guix package --search}, the result is written in
>  (@pxref{Top, GNU recutils databases,, recutils, GNU recutils manual}).
>  
>  @item reconfigure
> -Build the operating system described in @var{file}, activate it, and
> -switch to it@footnote{This action (and the related actions
> -@code{switch-generation} and @code{roll-back}) are usable only on
> -systems already running Guix System.}.
> +Build the operating system described in @var{file} (typically
> +@file{/etc/config.scm}), activate it, and switch to it@footnote{This action
> +(and the related actions @code{switch-generation} and @code{roll-back}) are
> +usable only on systems already running Guix System.}.

Perhaps “(typically @file{/etc/config.scm})” should go next to
“@var{file} must be …”?

But if the person doesn’t read more than a few lines of the page, it
won’t help.

I was thinking we could have “guix system reconfigure” without arguments
pick up /run/current-system/configuration.scm.  Perhaps that’d help?

Thanks,
Ludo’.