Nix Release 0.7 (2005-01-12)

doc/manual/source/release-notes/rl-0.7.md

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# Release 0.7 (2005-01-12)

  - Binary patching. When upgrading components using pre-built binaries
    (through nix-pull / nix-channel), Nix can automatically download and
    apply binary patches to already installed components instead of full
    downloads. Patching is “smart”: if there is a *sequence* of patches
    to an installed component, Nix will use it. Patches are currently
    generated automatically between Nixpkgs (pre-)releases.

  - Simplifications to the substitute mechanism.

  - Nix-pull now stores downloaded manifests in
    `/nix/var/nix/manifests`.

  - Metadata on files in the Nix store is canonicalised after builds:
    the last-modified timestamp is set to 0 (00:00:00 1/1/1970), the
    mode is set to 0444 or 0555 (readable and possibly executable by
    all; setuid/setgid bits are dropped), and the group is set to the
    default. This ensures that the result of a build and an installation
    through a substitute is the same; and that timestamp dependencies
    are revealed.

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Title: Nix Release 0.7 (2005-01-12) - Key Features

Summary

Release 0.7 of Nix introduces binary patching for efficient component upgrades, simplifying the substitute mechanism. It also stores downloaded manifests in `/nix/var/nix/manifests`. Additionally, file metadata in the Nix store is now canonicalized after builds, ensuring consistency between builds and installations and revealing timestamp dependencies.