[NixOS - Calamares] Various QOL issues (low priority).

[Atemo-C]

Some context.

I am used to using non-graphical installers, since most graphical ones have limitations that ought not to be there on a modern desktop Linux system. Still, I wanted to try NixOS' graphical installer, to see if it is good, and if improvements were needed. And whilst it is certainly decent, there are a few improvement ideas/bug reports I would like to submit.

This is all using the "recommended" ISO, with the GNOME desktop environment.

I do not know if they are problems specific with Calamares, or NixOS' implementation of it, so if this is the wrong place to report them, please feel free to redirect these issues to a more proper place in my place by linking or porting over this issue, thank you.

Notes.

• To make reporting these issues with images easier, this installation has been done on a virtual machine; However, the same behavior is reproducible on real hardware.
• Most of these issues are little more than minor annoyances, and could be their own separate issue, but I believe grouping them in one would be useful to keep things more organized; Furthermore, I believe that getting rid of a thousand paper cuts is still a good thing to do, if possible and worth the effort.

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Issue [1]: Small keyboard layout input test.

On the default window size on a 1920x1080 monitor without scaling (one of if not the most common screen resolution), the input box used to test the desired keyboard layout is too small to be properly useful without resizing the window. Furthermore, there is no way to resize it on its own. Even the text for "Type here" does not even have the space to exist, let alone in languages where the text is longer. See image attached below.

Issue [2]: Inability to clear selection for "Switch Keyboard".

If one accidentally clicks on this button, there is no visible option to clear it / set it back to the default (blank). This issue is easy to encounter, especially so because the input box used to test the desired keyboard layout is too small [1], so one could easily miss-click it. The solution would be to implement a small "reset" / "return to default" button, like exists for selecting the keyboard model. See image attached below.

Issue [3]: Arbitrary limitations to the UNIX user name.

The installer includes arbitrary limitations to the UNIX user name, such as the inability to use uppercase characters. Whilst a message saying that it would no be recommended could be displayed, the user should still be able to proceed with the installation with what is otherwise a perfectly valid and compliant user name. See image attached below.

Issue [4]: Insecure passwords passing as secure.

The installer struggles to properly detect insecure passwords, even with dictionary checks. For example, the password here is virtuallinuxpassword, "virtual"-"linux"-"password", which should trigger the check. However, it is seen as secure. See image attached below.

Issue [5]: Partitions not updating.

Once the installer is started, if modifications are done to the current partition table, it is not automatically updated in the installer, even when going back-and-forth between the "Unfree Software" page and the "Partitions" page. One has to re-start the installer and begin the process all over again from scratch. See images attached below; The first one showing what currently happens, and the other showing what should be happening.

Issue [6]: Does not follow dark theme preferences.

The preference for dark theme is not respected by the installer, even when restarting it. Configuring it manually via a QT configuration program works, and I would guess that the KDE Plasma ISO would not suffer from this issue. This is probably more of a GNOME not being properly configured to support QT programs in the live environment issue (breathes) than an installer issue itself, but it is an issue nonetheless. See image below.

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Metadata

[nixos@nixos:~]$ nix-shell -p nix-info --run "nix-info -m"
 - system: `"x86_64-linux"`
 - host os: `Linux 6.6.66, NixOS, 24.11 (Vicuna), 24.11.711542.b47fd6fa00c6`
 - multi-user?: `yes`
 - sandbox: `yes`
 - version: `nix-env (Nix) 2.24.10`
 - channels(root): `"nixos-24.11.711542.b47fd6fa00c6"`
 - nixpkgs: `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels/nixos`

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[Shawn8901]

not sure, but you might want to post that more visible on the calamares repo ( https://github.com/NixOS/calamares-nixos-extensions ) i assume here it will be not very visible due to all the actual nixpkgs content that is going on.

[Atemo-C]

not sure, but you might want to post that more visible on the calamares repo ( https://github.com/NixOS/calamares-nixos-extensions ) i assume here it will be not very visible due to all the actual nixpkgs content that is going on.

Oh, that's right! Thanks for pointing it out. Is there a way for me to transfer the issue there directly?

[Shawn8901]

Oh, that's right! Thanks for pointing it out. Is there a way for me to transfer the issue there directly?

An admin could transfer the issue. I am not aware of any functionality for users without higher privileges.
So maybe its easiest to just post it over there again.

[Atemo-C]

An admin could transfer the issue. I am not aware of any functionality for users without higher privileges. So maybe its easiest to just post it over there again.

I will do so, and close this issue. Thank you!

[Atemo-C]

NixOS/calamares-nixos-extensions#50