bug#63800: [elpa] elpa-admin 1d766451f8: Suggest `package-install' to install packages (bug#63800)

[Stefan Monnier via "Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors" <bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>]

>>> There is no bug in Emacs here. Just on ELPA page providing instructions
>>> that are not working for :core packages.
>>
>> I still think there's a bug in there because the behavior may not be
>> what the user expects.  Maybe `package-install` should be improved so
>> that, instead of doing nothing it tells or prompts the user about the
>> possibility to upgrade the package (presumably only do it when called interactively).
>
> AFAIU, one of the problems is that already installed packages do not
> even show up in the completion and one cannot enter
> M-x package-install <RET> org <RET>. The last <RET> will only trigger
> completion window where org is not listed at all.
>
> But wasn't this discussed in the past? There was quite a lengthy
> discussion about this in the past (I did not quite follow it until the
> end).

Indeed, but I think the discussion did not take a step back to think
about what the UI should be in a more general sense (IIRC it was
focused on "what should we do right now for `emacs-29`").

>>> I could also put the `list-packages' suggestion behind check if the
>>> package is :core or not.
>> That would be best.  Even better would be to provide instructions we
>> don't have to be ashamed of.  E.g. replace `package-install` with
>> `package-upgrade` for packages that are in-core.
> package-upgrade is not available in any of the released Emacs versions.
> Do note that some people still use ELPA to install packages for Emacs
> 26.

But for those, the instructions have been wrong for years anyway, so I'm
not too worried :-)


        Stefan