[RFC 0083] common interface package sets

rfcs/0083-common-interface-package-sets.md

@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+---
+feature: common-interface-package-sets
+start-date: 2020-12-19
+author: Frederik Rietdijk (@FRidh)
+co-authors:
+related-issues:
+---
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+The Nixpkgs package set consists of a large amount of packages of which a
+significant amount of grouped into sub package sets. This RFC recommends a
+common interface for these package sets.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+The Nixpkgs package set consists of a large amount of packages of which a
+significant amount of grouped into sub package sets. Sets exist for various
+languages, frameworks and plugins.
+
+They are typically grouped together for one of the following two reasons:
+- clarity, e.g. because they're written in the same language or framework;
+- necessity, e.g. for compatibility reasons.
+
+Over time different methods for defining package sets were created. Currently
+multiple methods are in use in Nixpkgs and pull requests are opened to modify
+sub package sets interfaces from one kind to another. Not only is this confusing
+for users but it also causes trouble; in some cases overriding of derivations
+inside a set is not possible or cross-compilation is broken.
+
+This RFC thus aims to unify the package sets to a common interface for the
+following reasons:
+- simplify usage of package sets and reduce confusion surrounding them;
+- single approach for dealing with overrides;
+- handle variants of a package set;
+- ensure cross-compilation works.
+
+Often one also wants to build an environment with an interpreter or main program
+and some additional packages or plugins. This RFC will therefore also recommend
+a function each package set should offer for doing so, when appliceable that is.
+
+## Related issues
+
+TODO: refer to these issues in correct place.
+
+- Common override interface derivations https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/67
+- Make PHP packages overrideable https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/107044
+- Change in emacs interface https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/107152
+- Python package set is not overrideable
+  https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/44426
+- Support `overrideScope'` in Python package set
+  https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/105374
+- Common `overrideArgs` for sub package sets
+  https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/46842. May be resolved using
+  `overrideAuto` in https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/67.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+We will now look in more detail at what a common interface should offer.
+
+## Attribute name of the package set: `fooPackages` versus `foo.pkgs`
+
+Two different interfaces are common in Nixpkgs when referring to package sets:
+- `fooPackages`
+- `foo.pkgs`
+
+TODO which one to pick?
+## Variants
+Often multiple variants of a package set need to be created. E.g., in case of
+emacs or Python there are different versions of the program and each of them
+should have their own package set. For this reason it is important that one can
+easily create a new variant
+
+```nix
+fooPackagesFor = foo: import ./foo-packages.nix { ... };
+fooPackages_3_6 = fooPackagesFor foo_3_6;
+```
+
+## Set overriding
+It should be possible to override packages in a sub package set and have the
+other packages in the set take that override into account. To that end, a scope
+is created
+
+```nix
+lib.makeScope pkgs.newScope (self: with self; {
+  ...
+}
+```
+
+that can be overridden using `overrideScope'`
+
+```nix
+fooPackages_3_6.overrideScope' overrides;
+```
+
+where `overrides` is of the form
+
+```nix
+(final: previous: { ... })
+```
+
+In case one uses overlays with Nixpkgs, one could now make the overrides
+composible using
+
+```nix
+fooPackages_3_6 = fooPackages_3_6.overrideScope' overrides;
+```
+
+## Package overriding
+
+Now that it is possible to override a set, a common interface to overriding the
+packages inside the set is needed as well. This is treated in [RFC
+67](https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/67).
+
+## Cross-compilation
+
+For cross-compilation it is important that `callPackage` in the sub package set
+has access to the spliced versions of the sub package set. Until recently, there
+were no spliced sub package sets in Nixpkgs, but support was added for Python
+utilizing the `makeScopeWithSplicing` function. There is [room for
+improvement](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/105374).
+
+An important aspect for making this work is that, when constructing the package
+set, it needs to know its own top-level attribute.
+
+...
+
+
+To support nested package sets, the full attribute path is needed, including
+dots.
+
+```nix
+`fooPackages_3_6.subFooPackages_2_5`
+```
+
+## Single function for creating a package set
+
+To ease the creation of a package set, a single function is proposed for
+creating a set given a main program and an attribute name.
+
+
+```nix
+makePackageSet = ...
+```
+
+## Composing an environment
+
+Thus far we considered building a package set and overriding it. Somewhat
+orthogonal yet still commonly needed, is a method to compose an environment of
+packages inside the package set.
+
+Starting with Haskell and later adopted by other package sets is a
+`withPackages(ps: [...])` function that allows you to compose an environment with chosen
+packages from the set.
+
+This RFC recommends each package set should have such a function, in case it is
+appliceable. An example of where it would not make sense to include such a
+function is in case of a [Qt package
+set](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/102168) because you would not be
+interested in having a Qt with libraries during runtime and nothing else.
+
+Haskell introduced the function as part of its package set, that is, one uses
+`haskellPackages.ghcWithPackages (ps: [...]). Some time later Python added such
+function, but as part of the interpreter `python3.withPackages(ps: [...])`.
+Since then, many other sets also added `withPackages` as part of the
+interpreter or main program.
+
+### `fooPackages` versus `foo.pkgs` again...
+
+TODO
+
+Unfortunately, having `withPackages` as part of the main program makes it
+somewhat more difficult to use it when overrides are needed as well. One would have to write
+
+```nix
+(foo_3_6.pkgs.overrideScope' overrides).foo.withPackages(ps: [...])
+```
+Indeed, the `withPackages` of the main program inside the sub set needs to be used. Using
+
+TODO the actual recommendation
+
+# Examples and Interactions
+
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+
+
+# Alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+# Future work
+[future]: #future-work
+
+- Document the recommended interface in the Nixpkgs manual.
+- Adopt the recommended interface in existing package sets in Nixpkgs.
+- Encourage tools that create package sets, e.g. from lock files, to also adopt
+  this interface.