diff --git a/lib/generators.nix b/lib/generators.nix
index 81bedd13d80a..205092a2681b 100644
--- a/lib/generators.nix
+++ b/lib/generators.nix
@@ -237,10 +237,8 @@ rec {
       # apply pretty values if allowed
       if attrNames v == [ "__pretty" "val" ] && allowPrettyValues
          then v.__pretty v.val
-      # TODO: there is probably a better representation?
       else if v ? type && v.type == "derivation" then
-        "<δ:${v.name}>"
-        # "<δ:${concatStringsSep "," (builtins.attrNames v)}>"
+        "<derivation ${v.drvPath}>"
       else "{" + introSpace
           + libStr.concatStringsSep introSpace (libAttr.mapAttrsToList
               (name: value:
@@ -248,11 +246,11 @@ rec {
         + outroSpace + "}"
     else if isFunction v then
       let fna = lib.functionArgs v;
-          showFnas = concatStringsSep "," (libAttr.mapAttrsToList
-                       (name: hasDefVal: if hasDefVal then "(${name})" else name)
+          showFnas = concatStringsSep ", " (libAttr.mapAttrsToList
+                       (name: hasDefVal: if hasDefVal then name + "?" else name)
                        fna);
-      in if fna == {}    then "<λ>"
-                         else "<λ:{${showFnas}}>"
+      in if fna == {}    then "<function>"
+                         else "<function, args: {${showFnas}}>"
     else abort "generators.toPretty: should never happen (v = ${v})";
   in go "";
 
diff --git a/lib/tests/misc.nix b/lib/tests/misc.nix
index 813a8e7f815f..2456b52c099c 100644
--- a/lib/tests/misc.nix
+++ b/lib/tests/misc.nix
@@ -445,7 +445,10 @@ runTests {
       expected = builtins.toJSON val;
   };
 
-  testToPretty = {
+  testToPretty =
+    let
+      deriv = derivation { name = "test"; builder = "/bin/sh"; system = builtins.currentSystem; };
+    in {
     expr = mapAttrs (const (generators.toPretty { multiline = false; })) rec {
       int = 42;
       float = 0.1337;
@@ -459,7 +462,7 @@ runTests {
       functionArgs = { arg ? 4, foo }: arg;
       list = [ 3 4 function [ false ] ];
       attrs = { foo = null; "foo bar" = "baz"; };
-      drv = derivation { name = "test"; system = builtins.currentSystem; };
+      drv = deriv;
     };
     expected = rec {
       int = "42";
@@ -470,11 +473,11 @@ runTests {
       newlinestring = "\"\\n\"";
       path = "/foo";
       null_ = "null";
-      function = "<λ>";
-      functionArgs = "<λ:{(arg),foo}>";
+      function = "<function>";
+      functionArgs = "<function, args: {arg?, foo}>";
       list = "[ 3 4 ${function} [ false ] ]";
       attrs = "{ foo = null; \"foo bar\" = \"baz\"; }";
-      drv = "<δ:test>";
+      drv = "<derivation ${deriv.drvPath}>";
     };
   };