PROGRESS.md

My Course Progress

This file belongs to the learner. Tick a box by changing [ ] to [x], then commit the update in your own nixos-config repository. The history will show what you learned, not just the final configuration.

Include PROGRESS.md in the lesson's checkpoint commit when convenient. If you already made the checkpoint commit, a small docs: record course progress commit is also honest history.

Make the project yours

• I opened the public template and read its safety rules.
• I used Use this template to create my own private nixos-config.
• I cloned my repository and verified that git remote -v names my account.
• I configured my Git author identity without exposing a private email.
• I know who can access my repository.
• I invited a trusted reviewer, if I want one.

Lessons

• Lesson 00 — I created and took ownership of my project.
• Lesson 01 — I can inspect, stage, commit, and push with Git.
• AI research field guide — I can investigate a question and verify sources.
• Lesson 02 — I can evaluate basic Nix values.
• Lesson 03 — I understand builds and Nix store results.
• Lesson 04 — I created a pinned flake.
• Lesson 05 — I created a reproducible development shell.
• Lesson 06 — I described a NixOS host and evaluated its first options.
• Lesson 07 — I recorded sanitized facts about the Dell.
• Lesson 08 — I wrote a storage and recovery plan without changing a disk.
• Lesson 09 — I chose and evaluated a desktop configuration.
• Development configuration — I declared my coding tools and local AI.
• Software workshop — I can classify, find, test, declare, and remove software.
• Lesson 10 — My standard checks pass before installation.
• Lesson 11 — The machine-specific installation gate was reviewed.
• Development verification — Zed, the languages, and local agents work.
• Lesson 12 — I can test, switch, update, and recover the system.

AI skills

• I can ask AI for a hint instead of a finished solution.
• I can separate evidence, inference, and recommendation.
• I open and read sources instead of trusting generated citations.
• I can compare an AI answer with current official documentation.
• I can give an assistant a narrow read-only or editing boundary.
• I inspect every proposed command and diff myself.
• I know which private information must never go into an AI chat.
• I can describe one time when I found and corrected an AI mistake.

Red-action gate

These boxes are intentionally not part of an early lesson:

• I decided full-disk versus dual boot.
• I restored a file from the backup successfully.
• I identified the target disk from a fresh inventory.
• I understand exactly which data the plan will erase.
• A second human reviewed the target and recovery plan.
• I know how to boot the installer and an older NixOS generation.