doc: consistently use nixpkgs-unstable and "nixpkgs repository"

Rename channel `nixpkgs` to `nixpkgs-unstable`. Based on the
[repo branches](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/branches)
and [channel status](https://status.nixos.org) I don't believe there is
a `nixpkgs` channel.  This confused me as a Nixpkgs beginner.
Rename to `nixpkgs-unstable`, which does exist.

Refer to "nixpkgs repository" consitently.  Make the capitalization and
"code quoting" consistent when referring to the repository itself.
This commit is contained in:
Chris Pick 2024-01-26 15:30:35 -05:00
parent 8cc42008aa
commit e78516b950

View file

@ -27,18 +27,18 @@ With these expressions the Nix package manager can build binary packages.
Packages, including the Nix packages collection, are distributed through
[channels](https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#sec-channels). The collection is
distributed for users of Nix on non-NixOS distributions through the channel
`nixpkgs`. Users of NixOS generally use one of the `nixos-*` channels, e.g.
`nixos-22.11`, which includes all packages and modules for the stable NixOS
`nixpkgs-unstable`. Users of NixOS generally use one of the `nixos-*` channels,
e.g. `nixos-22.11`, which includes all packages and modules for the stable NixOS
22.11. Stable NixOS releases are generally only given
security updates. More up to date packages and modules are available via the
`nixos-unstable` channel.
Both `nixos-unstable` and `nixpkgs` follow the `master` branch of the Nixpkgs
repository, although both do lag the `master` branch by generally
Both `nixos-unstable` and `nixpkgs-unstable` follow the `master` branch of the
nixpkgs repository, although both do lag the `master` branch by generally
[a couple of days](https://status.nixos.org/). Updates to a channel are
distributed as soon as all tests for that channel pass, e.g.
[this table](https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixpkgs/trunk/unstable#tabs-constituents)
shows the status of tests for the `nixpkgs` channel.
shows the status of tests for the `nixpkgs-unstable` channel.
The tests are conducted by a cluster called [Hydra](https://nixos.org/hydra/),
which also builds binary packages from the Nix expressions in Nixpkgs for
@ -46,5 +46,5 @@ which also builds binary packages from the Nix expressions in Nixpkgs for
The binaries are made available via a [binary cache](https://cache.nixos.org).
The current Nix expressions of the channels are available in the
[`nixpkgs`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs) repository in branches
[nixpkgs repository](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs) in branches
that correspond to the channel names (e.g. `nixos-22.11-small`).