When I try to "Open interactive shell" for wezterm (just what I happened to try), nothing happens at all, on console or elsewhere. No processes are started, or at least none that last long enough to see.

I've added this repo as a let…in in configuration.nix, addedd the package to the system list, and am getting this error on system rebuild.

~ ❱ sudo nixos-rebuild switch --show-trace 
building Nix...
building the system configuration...
building '/nix/store/lv93q2qi0lqsk9ijksf5biabg4yb7lnx-source.drv'...

trying https://github.com/vlinkz/nixos-conf-editor/archive/0.0.5.tar.gz
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
  0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0
100  671k    0  671k    0     0   826k      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  826k
unpacking source archive /build/0.0.5.tar.gz
error: hash mismatch in fixed-output derivation '/nix/store/lv93q2qi0lqsk9ijksf5biabg4yb7lnx-source.drv':
         specified: sha256-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=
            got:    sha256-Wst1UmVuE5L+1y6c96I62bXSBAcGYus3i7PFEPd4Jv0=

       … while realising the context of path '/nix/store/bqfq4db6nwycmkdrql9igsbrayqsw3g2-source'

       at /etc/nixos/configuration.nix:10:24:

            9| let
           10|   nixos-conf-editor = (import (pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
             |                        ^  
           11|     owner = "vlinkz";

       … while evaluating the attribute 'value'

~ 6.4s [102]

How to fix the configuration?

Running once-off works with the enable-experimenal flakes command.

Remove handling of package data cache and JSON files in favor of nix-data. This should make loading the application faster, and reduce the amount of memory used.

Currently the software center is its own thing, as Nix functions differently from a normal package manager in many ways. However, I feel it would be ideal to instead make a plugin (possibly on top of an abstraction) and work with GNOME Software devs to allow it to work better with a plugin of this type.

Commands:

$ nix shell github:vlinkz/nix-software-center
$ RUST_LOG=debug RUST_BACKTRACE=full nix-software-center
INFO  nix_software_center > Resource loaded: /nix/store/visjfp5lb3253q2d7zbmgnspy3v5k2vg-nix-software-center-0.1.0/share/nix-software-center/resources.gresource

(nix-software-center:626907): Gtk-WARNING **: 18:22:17.994: Unknown key gtk-button-images in /home/lev145/.config/gtk-4.0/settings.ini

(nix-software-center:626907): Gtk-WARNING **: 18:22:17.994: Unknown key gtk-menu-images in /home/lev145/.config/gtk-4.0/settings.ini

(nix-software-center:626907): Gtk-WARNING **: 18:22:17.994: Unknown key gtk-toolbar-style in /home/lev145/.config/gtk-4.0/settings.ini

(nix-software-center:626907): Adwaita-WARNING **: 18:22:18.053: Using GtkSettings:gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme with libadwaita is unsupported. Please use AdwStyleManager:color-scheme instead.
 DEBUG nix_software_center::ui::window > No config found
 DEBUG nix_software_center::ui::window > userpkgtype: Profile
 DEBUG nix_software_center::ui::window > syspkgtype: None
 DEBUG reqwest::connect                > starting new connection: https://nmcheck.gnome.org/
 INFO  nix_software_center::ui::window > AppMsg::SetDarkMode(true)
thread 'main' panicked at 'called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: OpenConf', /build/nix-software-center-0.1.0-vendor.tar.gz/relm4/src/channel/component.rs:67:34
stack backtrace:
   0:     0x558126da2573 - <std::sys_common::backtrace::_print::DisplayBacktrace as core::fmt::Display>::fmt::he3010f3ff51b55ac
   1:     0x558126ddf22c - core::fmt::write::hdfaf46c08a67cd92
   2:     0x558126dbc475 - std::io::Write::write_fmt::h0c8cb8452451d559
   3:     0x558126dc2f34 - std::panicking::default_hook::{{closure}}::h5f89d231703325b8
   4:     0x558126dc2b74 - std::panicking::default_hook::h0daa4414d4591360
   5:     0x558126dc3513 - std::panicking::rust_panic_with_hook::hc7eecadc23f906e1
   6:     0x558126da28d7 - std::panicking::begin_panic_handler::{{closure}}::h425c6c4810da3633
   7:     0x558126da26b4 - std::sys_common::backtrace::__rust_end_short_backtrace::h75a4c4b09ed50e09
   8:     0x558126dc3202 - rust_begin_unwind
   9:     0x5581264c0433 - core::panicking::panic_fmt::hed5cc02befa9fbd6
  10:     0x5581264c0563 - core::result::unwrap_failed::he50d59caf960046c
  11:     0x5581266b91fc - <O as gtk4::auto::button::ButtonExt>::connect_clicked::clicked_trampoline::h5b74f8ce9382e7c6
  12:     0x7f9c5ebe97d9 - _g_closure_invoke_va
  13:     0x7f9c5ec0364d - g_signal_emit_valist
  14:     0x7f9c5ec0394f - g_signal_emit
  15:     0x7f9c5f0c0979 - _gtk_marshal_VOID__INT_DOUBLE_DOUBLEv
  16:     0x7f9c5ebe97d9 - _g_closure_invoke_va
  17:     0x7f9c5ec0364d - g_signal_emit_valist
  18:     0x7f9c5ec0394f - g_signal_emit
  19:     0x7f9c5f18c20e - gtk_gesture_click_end
  20:     0x7f9c5ebec642 - g_cclosure_marshal_VOID__BOXEDv
  21:     0x7f9c5ebe97d9 - _g_closure_invoke_va
  22:     0x7f9c5ec0364d - g_signal_emit_valist
  23:     0x7f9c5ec0394f - g_signal_emit
  24:     0x7f9c5f189247 - _gtk_gesture_check_recognized
  25:     0x7f9c5f18a9bb - gtk_gesture_handle_event
  26:     0x7f9c5f18d82e - gtk_gesture_single_handle_event
  27:     0x7f9c5f15cef6 - gtk_event_controller_handle_event
  28:     0x7f9c5f2e6507 - gtk_widget_run_controllers
  29:     0x7f9c5f2edca4 - _gtk_widget_captured_event
  30:     0x7f9c5f1d467e - gtk_propagate_event_internal
  31:     0x7f9c5f1d4d4b - gtk_main_do_event
  32:     0x7f9c5f2fa1bc - surface_event
  33:     0x7f9c5f3dfca9 - _gdk_marshal_BOOLEAN__POINTER
  34:     0x7f9c5f408cbf - gdk_surface_event_marshaller
  35:     0x7f9c5ebe95af - g_closure_invoke
  36:     0x7f9c5ebfc917 - signal_emit_unlocked_R
  37:     0x7f9c5ec02eef - g_signal_emit_valist
  38:     0x7f9c5ec0394f - g_signal_emit
  39:     0x7f9c5f40c320 - gdk_surface_handle_event
  40:     0x7f9c5f4575ea - gdk_event_source_dispatch
  41:     0x7f9c5eaed9db - g_main_context_dispatch
  42:     0x7f9c5eaedc88 - g_main_context_iterate.constprop.0
  43:     0x7f9c5eaedd3f - g_main_context_iteration
  44:     0x7f9c5ed1810d - g_application_run
  45:     0x5581264f23d1 - relm4::app::RelmApp::run::hd82e66cdfba8b6d0
  46:     0x5581264f320c - nix_software_center::main::h22d487332a554dd6
  47:     0x5581264d6543 - std::sys_common::backtrace::__rust_begin_short_backtrace::ha22543f47596c86e
  48:     0x5581264f17d9 - std::rt::lang_start::{{closure}}::he2872a050c12132c
  49:     0x558126dbb8a8 - std::rt::lang_start_internal::h0b59928b60b7c3a2
  50:     0x5581264f32f8 - main
  51:     0x7f9c5e13624e - __libc_start_call_main
  52:     0x7f9c5e136309 - __libc_start_main@@GLIBC_2.34
  53:     0x5581264c06b5 - _start
  54:                0x0 - <unknown>

In my terminal I get an error message

ERROR nix_software_center::ui::windowloading > Error getting NixOS pkgs: error sending request for url (https://channels.nixos.org/nixos-unstable): operation timed out

I connect to the internet through a SOCKS proxy, does this application actually use $http_proxy to make its connection?

Support installation of multiple packages at once

As it is probably know, but when we install packages in NixOs with the configuration file we first edit it and than rebuild it. In this method it is normal to add multiple packages to the configuration file and than apply the changes. However, in nix software center the system needs to be rebuild for each installation of a single program.

When several packages needs to be installed this method is very time consuming. In contrast, when there would be a method to first select multiple packages which should be installed/removed and than apply the changes would be much more efficient.

Unfortunately I am not a programmer and do not now how hard this feature it is to implement, but maybe it is not that difficult.

For me this feature would make nix software center an even better program as it is more how the installation of multiple packages with the config file in NixOs works. In addition it would make the usage of the software center more efficient.

In my vision, the Nix GUI supports different sources like NixOS stable, unstable and Flatpak. Maybe others if they are relevant. If people should use Nix on other operating systems, i think we have to support their package manager as well. So it would be easier to make GNOME Software support Nix instead of making this support many package managers.

The sources selection would be a drop-down at the top right (where a different drop-down is currently).

There can be sources specific settings where you can add, remove or disable sources, disallow/allow unfree, broken, unsecure or unstable packages.

If there are multiple versions of the same package due to this, the drop down on the install button should show the different versions with source in (). The default can be from your default channel like nixos, but there can also be a setting "preferred source", so you could prefer Flathub.

The current drop-down options (Run without install, interactive shell) seem quite a special case and can be hidden more. Maybe a second butten right to the install button.