Re: feature/package-vc has been merged

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> From: Björn Bidar <bjorn.bidar@thaodan.de>
> Cc: philipk@posteo.net,  rms@gnu.org,  stefankangas@gmail.com,
>   monnier@iro.umontreal.ca,  emacs-devel@gnu.org
> Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2022 15:41:36 +0200
> 
> > No one says MELPA equals bad, and Github is not the issue here.  We
> 
> Than I misunderstood RMS when he said:
> >>Please do not encourage people to load packages from MELPA.

"Not to encourage" is a far cry from "bad".

> > just avoid recommending people to use MELPA because doing so could
> > accidentally cause someone to install non-free packages, or packages
> > that proliferate or require non-free programs.  It's a preference
> > thing, not a damnation.
> 
> I wasn't aware of packages in MELPA that do such a thing, especially
> about non-free packages.
> 
> >From my knowledge Melpa doesn't contain those packages nomore than Elpa
> already does (Microsoft Exchange support, excorporate).
> 
> Can you name such packages?

No, I cannot.  I don't track MELPA.  You can find them in past
discussions, though.

> In the end people either can use Emacs on day to day work where they are
> forced to use such systems that interact with non-free services or not.

We don't (and cannot) force people to do (or avoid doing) anything,
neither can we hide the fact that MELPA exists.  We just _encourage_
them to try to use only free software.  It's a difference between
expressing an opinion and violently enforcing that opinion on others.