So I have been using PopOS/Mint for a couple of years now and I regularly listen to Linux Unplugged and have been getting some FOMO when all they talk about how great NixOS is. So I guess my default starting point is going to be a Vm through VMware. My question is: Is this a good place to start? Should I just use a basic desktop on bare metal to get it running.
I started with a server, and then a VM for the desktop environment, and then my desktop, and then everything.
In retrospect, starting with a server was a good idea. It made it easier to learn how the different pieces of NixOS work.
Using a VM was a bit of a wash in retrospect. It helped to be able to quickly iterate on a config. But it also made some things more confusing, like animations not working right in the VM out of the box.
I would suggest dual-booting or using a spare hard drive.
I’ve heard people suggest starting in a VM (you can always copy your config and keep your changes), but I’m not really a big VM fan so if you have a spare drive or free space you could always dual-boot NixOS and another distro. In the beginning just work on getting a config you like and reading about things on the manual or nixos.wiki. The Nix Pills are cool but more focus on the Nix programming language rather than the NixOS config files, so they’re cool to do sometime but not the most important.