How to Install NixOS 16.03 Linux with KDE Desktop and Apps on VMware

NixOS 16.03 Linux Installation on VMware

In this tutorial we'll learn how to install NixOS Linux 16.03 with KDE Desktop environment. We'll also install some basic applications such as Firefox, Gimp and VLC media player and VMware Tools for better performance and usability. VMware Workstation is used for installing NixOS Linux but you can use VMware Player which is free to personal use. This tutorial is also helpful for installing NixOS Linux on physical hardware.

NixOS 16.03 Linux Installation Steps:

1. Download NixOS 16.03 ISO
2. Create Virtual Machine on VMware Workstation/Player
3. Start NixOS installation
4. Install Basic Applications (Firefox, Gimp and VLC Media Player)
5. Enable VMware Tools in NixOS 16.03
6. Test VMware Tools Features (Fit Guest Now, Drag-Drop File and Clipboard Sharing)

Installing NixOS 16.03 with KDE Desktop and Applications on VMware

What is NixOS Linux?

NixOS is a GNU/Linux distribution that aims to improve the state of the art in system configuration management. In NixOS, the entire operating system, including the kernel, applications, system packages and configuration files, are built by the Nix package manager. Nix stores all packages in isolation from each other; as a result there are no /bin, /sbin, /lib or /usr directories and all packages are kept in /nix/store instead. Other features of NixOS include reliable upgrades, rollbacks, reproducible system configurations, and multi-user package management. Although NixOS started as a research project, it is now a functional and usable operating system that includes hardware detection, KDE as the default desktop, and systemd for managing system services.
NixOS Website: https://nixos.org/

NixOS 16.03 New Features and Improvements

NixOS is built with the Nix package manager which isolates packages and provides atomic package installations, removals and upgrades. NixOS 16.03 is a fairly minor upgrade for the project, featuring updates to the kernel and systemd along with improvements to the Nix package manager. NixOS 16.03 is a low profile release, but it contains many small improvements. The release brings many improvements including Nix 1.12.2, systemd 229, kernel 4.4 and many packages updates.

What is VMware Workstation?

VMware Workstation is a hypervisor that runs on x86-64 computers; it enables users to set up one or more virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine, and use them simultaneously along with the actual machine.
VMware Workstation product website: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation

Hope you found this NixOS 16.03 Linux installation tutorial helpful and informative. Please consider sharing it. Your feedback and questions are welcome!