Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

GNU Guix VS Zero Install

Compare GNU Guix VS Zero Install and see what are their differences

IsDown.app
Monitor all your cloud services with our status page aggregator. IT teams choose IsDown to monitor all their vendors and get alerts whenever an outage occurs. Integration with Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and a lot more. featured
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

GNU Guix logo GNU Guix

Like Nix but GNU.

Zero Install logo Zero Install

Zero Install is a decentralised cross-distribution software installation system.
  • GNU Guix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-26
  • Zero Install Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-26

GNU Guix features and specs

  • Reproducibility
    GNU Guix emphasizes reproducible builds, ensuring that the same package can be built in the same way across different environments, enhancing reliability and consistency.
  • Declarative System Configuration
    Guix allows users to describe their entire system configuration in a declarative manner, making it easier to reproduce and share system environments.
  • Rollback Capabilities
    Guix supports rollbacks, allowing users to revert their system to previous states easily, which is useful for undoing updates or changes that cause issues.
  • Functional Package Management
    Guix uses a functional approach to package management, meaning packages do not interfere with each other and dependencies are handled more cleanly.
  • Free Software Focus
    Being a GNU project, Guix only includes free software, aligning with the principles of the Free Software Foundation and offering a system free from proprietary software.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Guix

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its unique approach and advanced features, GNU Guix has a steeper learning curve compared to more traditional package managers and might be challenging for beginners.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    The ecosystem and community around Guix are relatively smaller compared to more established systems, which can mean fewer available packages and community resources.
  • Installation Complexity
    Setting up GNU Guix can be more complex and time-consuming than other package managers or Linux distributions, which might discourage new users.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Guix's focus on free software can lead to compatibility issues with proprietary software or certain hardware that requires non-free drivers or firmware.
  • Performance Overhead
    The functional approach used by Guix can introduce performance overhead, as each package operation might involve additional steps compared to traditional package managers.

Zero Install features and specs

  • Dependency Management
    Zero Install handles dependency management automatically, which reduces the complexity associated with manually resolving dependencies for software packages.
  • Cross-Platform
    Zero Install supports multiple operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, providing a uniform method for software distribution across different platforms.
  • Security
    Applications are cryptographically signed and verified, ensuring integrity and authenticity of the software being distributed and installed.
  • No Root Required
    Zero Install does not require root or administrator privileges to install software, making it safer and easier to use, especially in restricted environments.
  • No Central Repository
    Zero Install does not rely on a central repository. Developers can distribute software from their own servers, giving them more control over updates and releases.
  • Version Control
    It supports using multiple versions of software simultaneously, enabling users to test and run different versions without conflicts.
  • Lightweight
    Zero Install maintains a lightweight footprint because it does not copy software into a central repository but uses existing locations.

Possible disadvantages of Zero Install

  • Adoption Rate
    Zero Install is not as widely adopted as other package managers like APT or YUM, which can result in a smaller community and fewer available packages.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might face a learning curve when first using Zero Install due to its unique approach to software distribution and management.
  • Lack of Standardization
    Since there is no central repository, the quality and standards of distributed packages can vary, sometimes making it harder to ensure consistency.
  • Dependency on Network
    Zero Install relies on URLs to fetch software, so a stable internet connection is essential for installing and updating packages.
  • Performance Overhead
    The initial setup and dependency resolution can take some time, potentially leading to a performance overhead during the first run.

Analysis of GNU Guix

Overall verdict

  • GNU Guix is highly regarded for its innovative approach to package management and system configuration, offering unique features like reproducibility and transactional upgrades. It is a solid choice for users who value software freedom and flexibility.

Why this product is good

  • GNU Guix is a functional package manager and an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system.
  • It aims to provide a consistent and reproducible environment for software deployment.
  • Guix offers transactional upgrades and rollbacks, unprivileged package management, and per-user profiles, making it highly flexible.
  • The system is built entirely on free software, and its package descriptions are written in Guile Scheme, which provides extensibility and customization.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking an advanced and customizable package manager.
  • Users who prioritize reproducibility and control over their software environment.
  • Individuals committed to free software principles.
  • Anyone interested in exploring a functional approach to package management and system configuration.

GNU Guix videos

+ Add

My crush on GNU Guix

More videos:

  • Review - Building a whole distro on top of a minimalistic language The story of GNU Guix
  • Tutorial - How to Install GNU Guix System 1.1.0 + Review

Zero Install videos

+ Add

Zero Installation Purifier Reverse Osmosis Unboxing - Demo - Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Guix and Zero Install)

GNU Guix

Zero Install

Front End Package Manager
100 100%
Front End Package Manager
0% 0
Software Marketplace
0 0%
Software Marketplace
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
Developer Tools
0% 0
OS & Utilities
0 0%
OS & Utilities
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GNU Guix and Zero Install. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GNU Guix seems to be a lot more popular than Zero Install. While we know about 92 links to GNU Guix, we've tracked only 5 mentions of Zero Install. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU Guix mentions (92)

  • The Most Elegant Configuration Language
    And then see how it's done in real life: https://guix.gnu.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Douglas Hofstadter on Lisp (1983)
    Guix is a Nix-like package manager and distro that is almost entirely written in Guile Scheme: https://guix.gnu.org/ I would guess it's by far the most active Guile project. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Pkl, a Programming Language for Configuration
    > So what we are missing now is a 500GB framework that can write the config file for the programming language that is writing a config file for the actual program I wish to use. That exists since 1960. It's called LISP. The e.g. https://guix.gnu.org/ uses with great success, the Guile Scheme dialect of LISP, to be precise. And FYI the "framework" is: 
      $ ls --human-readable --size $(readlink $(which...
    - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • NixOS: Declarative Builds and Deployments
    > inventing a brand new purely functional language programming language. ISTM that if you dislike that, then there's GUIX. https://guix.gnu.org/ Very briefly, AFAICT, it's "Nix but using Scheme". - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Linux saved my life
    And just wait till you discover Arch Linux, Gentoo, Guix, or NixOS. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Zero Install mentions (5)

  • Self-contained Python scripts with uv
    Overall, and admittedly from a bit of a distance, uv run feels like a reinvention of Zero Install, but for only Python. I also wondered why virtual environments were invented for Python when general environment managers (like Modules) already existed. These packaging and environment problems have never been specific to Python https://0install.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Using jlink to cross-compile minimal JREs
    Sounds like https://0install.net which has been around for a while. Personally I prefer to avoid 'installing' anything: if something's written in Java, its launcher should reference some specific java binary; if something's written in Python, it should reference some specific python3 binary; etc. For example, my job is mostly writing Scala and building it with Maven; yet I have neither installed system-wide.... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Go binding for upx utility
    It seems more like a package manager. https://0install.net/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Ubuntu's Snap performs application updates without user consent
    The article mentions Snap, AppImage and FlatPak, but there is also a much older system called 0install (zero install) that was started in 2003 or so [1]. I wonder why that never took off. [1] https://zero-install.sourceforge.net/roadmap.html (note this is the old website; the new website is https://0install.net - looks like it's still getting releases in October this year). - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Flaptak (and Snap) is not the future
    That's true, future app distributions should utilize web 3.0, e.g. decentralization. There is 0install ( https://0install.net/ ), for example, it is better. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Guix and Zero Install, you can also consider the following products

NixOS - 25 Jun 2014 . All software components in NixOS are installed using the Nix package manager. Packages in Nix are defined using the nix language to create nix expressions.

Patch My PC - Patch My PC Updater is a free, easy-to-use program that keeps over 300 apps up-to-date on your computer.

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

IObit Software Updater - IObit is an application that updates the software of your PC to keep all the software properly working.

Docker - Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.

Avira Software Updater - Application that searches updates for software on your computer

Loading...