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

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> From: Artur Malabarba <bruce.connor.am@gmail.com>
> Cc: joostkremers@fastmail.fm,  johnw@gnu.org,  emacs-devel@gnu.org
> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2016 16:29:17 -0200
> 
> Another complaint I see is “I don't want my custom (or init) file being
> programatically altered, for reason X”. These complaints don't want to
> manually keep track of their packages with a `setq'. They want
> package.el to keep working its magic automatically, but keep its hands
> off their custom files.

I tried to figure out why people feel like that about this particular
customization, but couldn't.  I asked the question about that several
times, but either didn't get an answer, or didn't understand it.  I'd
still like to understand what's so special about this particular
customization.

> This sentence is explaining why _regular custom variables_ don't have
> the problem that `package-selected-packages' has.
> 
> - _Regular custom variables_ don't get saved to the custom file without
>   explicit user request, so it's easy to turn them into `setq's (which
>   is what you were discussing).
> 
> - OTOH, `package-selected-packages' _does_ get saved without explicit
>   request, so it's hard for the user to turn it into a `setq'.

Ah, okay, thanks.  So preventing package.el from doing that should
solve at least part of the problem.  Would someone please work on
that?