The NixOS Nightmare: When Discord and Spotify Stop Working

Hey there, NixOS enthusiasts! Have you ever woken up to find your favorite music streaming platform and communication tool no longer working after updating your system? Yeah, it’s a real bummer. The new update of NixOS brought some unwanted changes, causing Discord and Spotify to stop being interactive. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll dive into the reasons behind this issue and provide you with step-by-step solutions to get your favorite apps up and running again.

What’s Causing the Problem?

Before we jump into the fix, let’s understand what’s causing the issue. In the latest update of NixOS, some underlying system changes affected the way Discord and Spotify interact with the system. Specifically:

• discord.desktop: The update changed the Discord.desktop file, which is responsible for launching Discord. This change made Discord unresponsive and unable to connect to the servers.
• spotify: Spotify’s dependencies were affected, causing it to malfunction and become unresponsive.

Fixin’ Time!

Now that we know the culprits, let’s get to fixing them! Follow these steps to revive your Discord and Spotify experience:

Step 1: Update Discord.desktop

Edit the Discord.desktop file using your favorite text editor:

sudo nano /usr/share/applications/discord.desktop

Replace the entire contents with the following code:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Discord
Comment=All-in-one voice and text chat for gamers that's free, secure, and works on both your desktop and phone.
Exec=/usr/bin/discord
Icon=discord
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
StartupNotify=true

Save and exit the editor. This will update the Discord.desktop file, allowing Discord to launch correctly.

Step 2: Reinstall Discord

Reinstall Discord to ensure the changes take effect:

sudo nix-env -qa discord && sudo nix-env -i discord

Step 3: Fix Spotify Dependencies

Update Spotify’s dependencies by running the following commands:

sudo nix-env -qa spotify && sudo nix-env -i spotify
sudo nix-env -qa libXScrnSaver && sudo nix-env -i libXScrnSaver
sudo nix-env -qa libXcomposite && sudo nix-env -i libXcomposite

This will reinstall Spotify and its dependent libraries, ensuring they function properly.

Step 4: Restart Your System

Reboot your system to apply the changes:

sudo reboot

Once your system restarts, you should be able to launch Discord and Spotify without any issues.

Bonus Fix: Configuring PulseAudio for Spotify

If you’re still experiencing issues with Spotify, it’s possible that PulseAudio is the culprit. Follow these additional steps to configure PulseAudio:

Step 1: Install PulseAudio

Install PulseAudio if you haven’t already:

sudo nix-env -qa pulseaudio && sudo nix-env -i pulseaudio

Step 2: Configure PulseAudio

Run the following command to configure PulseAudio:

pactl load-module module-udev-detect

This will load the necessary module for PulseAudio to work with Spotify.

Step 3: Restart Spotify

Restart Spotify to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart spotify

With PulseAudio configured, Spotify should now work seamlessly.

Conclusion

And there you have it! With these steps, you should be able to revive Discord and Spotify on your NixOS system. Remember to stay patient and follow the instructions carefully. If you encounter any issues or have further questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Additional Resources

For further reading and troubleshooting, check out these resources:

Resource	Description
NixOS Manual – Desktop Environment	Learn more about configuring your desktop environment on NixOS.
Discord Support	Get help with Discord-specific issues and troubleshoot common problems.
Spotify Support	Find solutions to common Spotify issues and get help with troubleshooting.

Stay tuned for more NixOS-related articles and guides! If you have any suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover, let us know in the comments.

Frequently Asked Question

If you’re struggling to get Discord and Spotify to work after the latest NixOS update, you’re not alone! Here are some answers to get you back online and jamming out in no time: