Re: using use-package

[Rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com>]

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 6:44:02 AM UTC+5:30, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > Stefan is saying that many packages do things _wrong_.
> 
> Actually, no.  What I was saying is that several use-package features
> are only useful if a package is poorly packaged.
> 
> In the mean time, it became apparent that the reason for that is that
> I assume people (will) use ELPA to install their packages, whereas
> use-package was designed for the case where packages are installed some
> other way.
> 
> Hence use-package partly overlaps with ELPA, and in those parts that
> overlaps, the work is done differently: in ELPA the work is done by the
> packager, whereas in use-package the work is done by the end-user (since
> there's no packager doing that work for him).

Yes!
There are packages and there are packages.
To expand on Ian's deb analogy:

On debian-ish systems [I am assuming mine are fairly typical]

- there is software running from download tarball; make; install
- there are proprietary/commercial debs installed eg Canon printer drivers
- there are 'improper' debs -- Only in debian; needed on ubuntu.
 So downloaded and dpkg-installed and (cross-fingers) runs so far
- there are more proper but still unsafe debs -- from ppas
- there are the fully proper debs -- apt-get installed or came with the base system

Of course from the pov of debian packagers only the last are qualified as
packages.

There is a case to be made for treating ALL as packages and not only the last

Also notice that debian has a finely honed combo of human/social/soft and
hard/technical: to get a package past debian's packaging policy is much
harder than taking software that make-s and wrapping it into a deb that will
be acceptable to dpkg -i even though it may violate all sorts of best practices