I'm guessing that you actually need to know Nix to be able to use it, which kinda defeats the "usable for non-technical users" goal.
I can see the value of it, if I ever learn Nix, and want a quick way to make modifications without having to google every possibilities.
Just because it doesn't have an obvious minimal modern UI doesn't mean it doesn't do its job. Gotta read I guess .. but then again Nix also in general has a prerequisite of "calm down and read." But then again, so does Linux!
The only thing you need to do to be Nix-competent is not flip the table and blame the tool when you get an error you don't understand. (Same goes for Haskell.) That said, my years of industry experience has shown that that is a rare attribute - doubly so amongst those with experience and therefore egos.
People in this thread act like Nix users are out of touch. Maybe, but I'd rather be out of touch and learning than grumpy that I had to read.
^ emphasis mine. What exactly does a non-techical user have to read to understand whatever's on the screenshot? Forget non-techincal, explain this to a technical person.
Apparently this has something to do with sound? Have you or any nix-person ever seen a sound configuration screen for non-technical users? I mean this one is by no means perfect, but do compare: https://www.techrepublic.com/a/hub/i/r/2016/10/05/a7dba7dd-3...
This config is for a different layer - one a non-technical user probably wouldn't ever modify in most OSes. Hence, the value.
I don't think that's true. Excel is usable by non-technical users. Part of it is due to the GUI, part of it is due to the easy packaging. But you still need to know spreadsheets to use it. This project does the same for Nix.