
'nix build' is an experimental command so we shouldn't use it yet. (nixos-rebuild also uses 'nix', but only when using flakes, which are themselves an experimental feature.)
To build the manual, you need Nix installed on your system (no need for NixOS). To install Nix, follow the instructions at https://nixos.org/nix/download.html When you have Nix on your system, in the root directory of the project (i.e., `nixpkgs`), run: nix-build nixos/release.nix -A manual.x86_64-linux When this command successfully finishes, it will tell you where the manual got generated.