Figure out a pattern to break-out a NixOS Linux distribution "sub-site" (again)

[samueldr]

The website is becoming more focused around Nix and the ecosystem.

This itself is not problematic; after all I think that jumping into the OS after being exposed to Nix and Nixpkgs is a good way to get introduced to the ecosystem.

But, with all those moves, we've not been entirely considering how to present the distribution itself.

After all, it is a next logical step for many users, and we're slowly squeezing the distribution content out of the site.

I believe most of this problem comes from the nixos.org name being the logical place to host the operating system based on Nix, but we can't really have nix.org or anything like that I guess. Furthermore, moving the property could be harmful to existing links.

I'm opening this as the tracking (and sadly not really actionable yet) issue so we can point to a unified discussion.

[davidak]

but we can't really have nix.org or anything like that I guess

why? i think that would be a good solution. we talked about domains that are free

Furthermore, moving the property could be harmful to existing links.

can be solved with redirects

[samueldr]

Getting nix.* at the TLD is going to cost a bunch; squatted on the not-scam TLDs, and short names are premium elsewhere.

While yes, redirects can handle that, it "pollutes" the namespace for re-using it. E.g. we can't have https://nixos.org/features.html be a NixOS features page, at the same time as redirecting to https://nix.example/features.html. I didn't exactly finish my thought when writing that. Let's say that it becomes way harder do deal with when you want to re-use an existing domain for something else while being a good citizen.

Speaking of unfinished thought: the existing SEO and "mind share" of nixos.org being the Nix domain name is not something to take lightly.

All of that is to say that it's not trivial, so whatever we do has to be thought of, thus the issue to figure out a pattern.

[nova-nowiz]

This is strange, nix.com is owned by https://www.markmonitor.com/ but it is not used, do you happen to know @davidak or @samueldr if the nix team uses this solution? Or is it simply another person that took the domain through this platform?

[nixos-discourse]

This issue has been mentioned on NixOS Discourse. There might be relevant details there:

https://discourse.nixos.org/t/usability-study-session-2/21400/1