The Awesome Language Paradox

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:45:53 -0400

Language designers want to design the perfect language. They want to be able to say, “My language is perfect. It can do everything.” But it’s just plain impossible to design a perfect language, because there are two ways to look at a language. One way is by looking at what can be done with that language. The other is by looking at how we feel using that language—how we feel while programming. ¹

Nix(OS) Considered Harmful

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:19:06 -0400

I really want to like Nix and NixOS. There are many genuinely amazing and intelligent ideas within the project, but every time I stop and consider recommending it to someone, I feel like I can’t give a positive endorsement of the project, even though the technology of Nix(OS) is incredible, and I hope someone better builds upon it someday.

What is Nix(OS)?

Many have never heard about this project, so a bit of explanation might not be remiss. Nix’s one sentence definition, as described by the main website¹:

Essay on nsf.name

The Awesome Language Paradox

Nix(OS) Considered Harmful

What is Nix(OS)?