What's the problem with storing dependencies in /nix/store? Nix removes the downside of having dependencies. Manually finding and installing them, conflicting dependencies, multiple versions of the same software/libraries, dependencies that are no longer needed but you don't know it, different installation method and instructions for different platforms, temporary installation - all are solved problems with Nix. Every package in nixpkgs, world's largest software collection, is a `nix-shell -p <package-name>` away.