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diff --git a/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-1.9.xml b/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-1.9.xml new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..9955bc24a9ac --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-1.9.xml @@ -0,0 +1,216 @@ +<section xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" + xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" + xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" + version="5.0" + xml:id="ssec-relnotes-1.9"> + +<title>Release 1.9 (June 2, 2015)</title> + +<para>In addition to the usual bug fixes, this release has the +following new features:</para> + +<itemizedlist> + + <listitem> + <para>Signed binary cache support. You can enable signature + checking by adding the following to <filename>nix.conf</filename>: + +<programlisting> +signed-binary-caches = * +binary-cache-public-keys = cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY= +</programlisting> + + This will prevent Nix from downloading any binary from the cache + that is not signed by one of the keys listed in + <option>binary-cache-public-keys</option>.</para> + + <para>Signature checking is only supported if you build Nix with + the <literal>libsodium</literal> package.</para> + + <para>Nix has had experimental support for signed binary caches + since version 1.7, but this release changes the signature format + in a backwards-incompatible way.</para> + + </listitem> + + <listitem> + + <para>Automatic downloading of Nix expression tarballs. In various + places, you can now specify the URL of a tarball containing Nix + expressions (such as Nixpkgs), which will be downloaded and + unpacked automatically. For example:</para> + + <itemizedlist> + + <listitem><para>In <command>nix-env</command>: + +<screen> +$ nix-env -f https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs-channels/archive/nixos-14.12.tar.gz -iA firefox +</screen> + + This installs Firefox from the latest tested and built revision + of the NixOS 14.12 channel.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>In <command>nix-build</command> and + <command>nix-shell</command>: + +<screen> +$ nix-build https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/master.tar.gz -A hello +</screen> + + This builds GNU Hello from the latest revision of the Nixpkgs + master branch.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>In the Nix search path (as specified via + <envar>NIX_PATH</envar> or <option>-I</option>). For example, to + start a shell containing the Pan package from a specific version + of Nixpkgs: + +<screen> +$ nix-shell -p pan -I nixpkgs=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs-channels/archive/8a3eea054838b55aca962c3fbde9c83c102b8bf2.tar.gz +</screen> + + </para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>In <command>nixos-rebuild</command> (on NixOS): + +<screen> +$ nixos-rebuild test -I nixpkgs=nixpkgs=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs-channels/archive/nixos-unstable.tar.gz +</screen> + + </para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>In Nix expressions, via the new builtin function <function>fetchTarball</function>: + +<programlisting> +with import (fetchTarball https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs-channels/archive/nixos-14.12.tar.gz) {}; … +</programlisting> + + (This is not allowed in restricted mode.)</para></listitem> + + </itemizedlist> + + </listitem> + + <listitem> + + <para><command>nix-shell</command> improvements:</para> + + <itemizedlist> + + <listitem><para><command>nix-shell</command> now has a flag + <option>--run</option> to execute a command in the + <command>nix-shell</command> environment, + e.g. <literal>nix-shell --command make</literal>. This is like + the existing <option>--command</option> flag, except that it + uses a non-interactive shell (ensuring that hitting Ctrl-C won’t + drop you into the child shell).</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para><command>nix-shell</command> can now be used as + a <literal>#!</literal>-interpreter. This allows you to write + scripts that dynamically fetch their own dependencies. For + example, here is a Haskell script that, when invoked, first + downloads GHC and the Haskell packages on which it depends: + +<programlisting> +#! /usr/bin/env nix-shell +#! nix-shell -i runghc -p haskellPackages.ghc haskellPackages.HTTP + +import Network.HTTP + +main = do + resp <- Network.HTTP.simpleHTTP (getRequest "http://nixos.org/") + body <- getResponseBody resp + print (take 100 body) +</programlisting> + + Of course, the dependencies are cached in the Nix store, so the + second invocation of this script will be much + faster.</para></listitem> + + </itemizedlist> + + </listitem> + + <listitem> + + <para>Chroot improvements:</para> + + <itemizedlist> + + <listitem><para>Chroot builds are now supported on Mac OS X + (using its sandbox mechanism).</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>If chroots are enabled, they are now used for + all derivations, including fixed-output derivations (such as + <function>fetchurl</function>); however the latter do have + network access. Thus the latter can no longer access the host + filesystem. If you need the old behaviour, you can set the + option <option>build-use-chroot</option> to + <literal>relaxed</literal>.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>On Linux, if chroots are enabled, builds are + performed in a private PID namespace once again. (This + functionality was lost in Nix 1.8.)</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>Store paths listed in + <option>build-chroot-dirs</option> are now automatically + expanded to their closure. For instance, if you want + <filename>/nix/store/…-bash/bin/sh</filename>> mounted in your + chroot as <filename>/bin/sh</filename>, you only need to say + <literal>build-chroot-dirs = + /bin/sh=/nix/store/…-bash/bin/sh</literal>; it is no longer + necessary to specify the dependencies of Bash.</para></listitem> + + </itemizedlist> + + </listitem> + + <listitem><para>The new derivation attribute + <varname>passAsFile</varname> allows you to specify that the + contents of derivation attributes should be passed via files rather + than environment variables. This is useful if you need to pass very + long strings that exceed the size limit of the environment. The + Nixpkgs function <function>writeTextFile</function> uses + this.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>You can now use <literal>~</literal> in Nix file + names to refer to your home directory, e.g. <literal>import + ~/.nixpkgs/config.nix</literal>.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>Nix has a new option <option>restrict-eval</option> + that allows limiting what paths the Nix evaluator has access to. By + passing <literal>--option restrict-eval true</literal> to Nix, the + evaluator will throw an exception if an attempt is made to access + any file outside of the Nix search path. This is primarily intended + for Hydra to ensure that a Hydra jobset only refers to its declared + inputs (and is therefore reproducible).</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para><command>nix-env</command> now only created a new + “generation” symlink in <filename>/nix/var/nix/profiles</filename> + if something actually changed.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>The environment variable <envar>NIX_PAGER</envar> + can now be set to override <envar>PAGER</envar>. You can set it to + <literal>cat</literal> to disable paging for Nix commands + only.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>Failing <literal><...></literal> + lookups now show position information.</para></listitem> + + <listitem><para>Improved Boehm GC use: we disabled scanning for + interior pointers, which should reduce the <literal>Repeated + allocation of very large block</literal> warnings and associated + retention of memory.</para></listitem> + +</itemizedlist> + +<para>This release has contributions from aszlig, Benjamin Staffin, +Charles Strahan, Christian Theune, Daniel Hahler, Danylo Hlynskyi +Daniel Peebles, Dan Peebles, Domen Kožar, Eelco Dolstra, Harald van +Dijk, Hoang Xuan Phu, Jaka Hudoklin, Jeff Ramnani, j-keck, Linquize, +Luca Bruno, Michael Merickel, Oliver Dunkl, Rob Vermaas, Rok Garbas, +Shea Levy, Tobias Geerinckx-Rice and William A. Kennington III.</para> + +</section> + |