bug#46610: Interactive mode tagging for python.el navigation functions

[Dmitry Gutov <dgutov@yandex.ru>]

On 18.02.2021 17:07, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>>>> So I don't think you can use the new 'interactive' syntax there.
>>> So packages on ELPA are allowed to be ahead of those in core, but not
>>> vice versa?  Is that really the intent that we allow them to diverge,
>>> but only in one direction?
>>
>> What do you mean by "ahead"? Have a newer version of the package in
>> 'master' and some other in ELPA?
> 
> Not necessarily "newer", but one that relies on features that exist in
> the Emacs version with which it is bundled.

This can be done with either maintaining a separate version of python.el 
somewhere in a different repo, or with version checks inside the main 
file, compatibility aliases, etc.

Neither seems warranted for the feature in question, since we have a 
backward-compatible syntax as well.

>> Then we (someone? who?) either have to maintain both version, or accept
>> that ELPA and all users of Emacs 24-27 won't get any subsequent updates
>> to python.el, including support for newer Python syntax, etc.
> 
> I don't think I understand why.  We are talking about changing
> python.el on master, which will be released with Emacs 28, in some
> not-too-close future.  What does that have to do with users of older
> Emacsen receiving updates to python.el?  I guess I'm confused here.

Emacs 27 users can install the most recent version of python.el from GNU 
ELPA. This is generally a good thing.

>> Either approach can work in ELPA, but our "ELPA core" scheme aims to
>> make new features available to as many users as feasible, while limiting
>> the extra support effort required.
> 
> The new features on master will be available only when Emacs 28 is
> released, until then they cannot possibly do any harm to anyone.
> Right?

I meant the "new features" of python.el (not of Emacs 28 core) and of 
other "ELPA core" packages.