Re: Option to not automatically customize-save-variable `package-selected-packages'

[Kaushal Modi <kaushal.modi@gmail.com>]

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On Fri, Feb 19, 2016 at 1:50 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:

> I'd
> still like to understand what's so special about this particular
> customization.
>

IMO this particular customization is not portable across multiple machines.
All machines need not have the same packages installed; reasons: different
emacs versions, one machine begin at work, another at home, etc.

Another reason is that this variable is more like persistent data cache
which updates very frequently (unlike the other customization options which
a user typically sets and does "Save for future sessions"). In the former
case, user has no control on what this variable is set to; in the latter
case, user has total control.

Also the value stored in this variable is more of use to package.el than
directly to the user. The train of thought is that user doesn't care what
this variable is set to. But a user would care if delete-selection-mode is
set to nil/t.

Also frequent changing of this variable value causes noise in git commits
(if a user is saving their config using git); the diff of this variable
change is not very helpful as usually people have lots of packages
installed and a glance at the diff doesn't tell instantly which package was
added/removed. In crux, committing of custom-file causes non-useful
commits. That brings back to the earlier point that as this variable is
machine-specific, they do not need to be in a file which a user would
typically share among machines. If I am used to delete-selection-mode on
one machine, that stays true when I am using emacs on my other machine too.


--
Kaushal Modi

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