RE: package and testing rant (was Re: package.el, auto-installation, and auto-removal)

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> Just to avoid confusion in the discussion: ELPA is the name of
> the general package distribution system, IOW the protocol
> between package.el and the web servers.

Really?  I thought that ELPA stands for "Emacs Lisp Package
Archive", and it thus means a repository of Emacs-Lisp code.

I think of `package.el', not ELPA, as something that provides
(the basis for) the "package system".

Perhaps Tom T. has something to offer about the terminology?

> There are several servers which follow this protocol, such as
> Marmalade, MELPA, and GNU ELPA.

Several ELPAs, several Emacs-Lisp repositories.  And yes, a
"repository" can include the ways of accessing it, including,
for example, a web server.

> IIUC by "ELPA" above I guess you mean GNU ELPA (since "ELPA
> and MELPA" would otherwise combine with "and" two things
> of different nature).

That's my thought too - GNU ELPA and MELPA are two ELPAs.
Marmalade is also an ELPA.  There can be any number of ELPAs.
Presumably all will support the package system offered by
(supported by) `package.el', though in different ways.