Activate means to setup autoloads and add the package's directory to `load-path`.

That was more or less what I understood from reading the `package-activate-1` code.

Those files are preloaded into the "pdump" file (a file with name <foo>.pdmp)
(you can see in `lisp/loadup.el` which are those files that are preloaded).

Ah, yes, I suspected something like that already, but could not really find more info about it.

So finally then, does `make available` mean `activate the package`?

Thanks! Very helpful...

On Tue, 8 Mar 2022 at 16:52, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:
> As, other than looking at the source code of `package-activate-1`, I am
> unable to find what it
> means to 'activate a package',

Activate means to setup autoloads and add the package's directory to `load-path`.

> So I was trying to inspect what happens in the `normal-top-level` function
> but, when jumping to
> its definition and changing it, it seems to have no effect (I have also
> deleted the startup.elc file. And, as I don't know exactly if native
> compiled files get priority over byte-compiled files, I have also tried
> with an Emacs without native compilation, I am hoping to understand such
> things at some point).

Those files are preloaded into the "pdump" file (a file with name <foo>.pdmp)
(you can see in `lisp/loadup.el` which are those files that are preloaded).


        Stefan