Re: package.el, auto-installation, and auto-removal

[Nic Ferrier <nferrier@ferrier.me.uk>]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>>> Ah, that's where you're going.  I kind of like the idea, but I don't
>>> like the idea of editing the content of packages in ~/.emacs.d/elpa
>>> (even if only for some "special" packages like "user-package").
>> You don't edit that. You edit the source somewhere else and then
>> automatically install it.
>> I'd suggest that the package could be constructed automatically every
>> time.  If the necessary data is kept in a customize variable anyway it
>> doesn't matter about the package source.
>> It only matters that a package is a good way to load other packages.
>
> If you want your "user-packages" package to be versioned, or if other
> packages start refer to such meta-packages, then I can agree that it
> could make sense, but otherwise I get the sensation that
> - de-install the previous user-packages package.
> - make up a dummy .el file with the Package-Requires: header.
> - install this dummy .el package.
> is kind of contrived.

Unless you have such a "fake" package you cannot easily share your
packages with anyone else.

In fact, I don't think that a package representing just my package state
is particularly useful. I use this sort of package as a way of passing
round a curated list of packages to other users, in a team at work for
example.

With what you're proposing though I can see a "starter kit" like thing
happening.


"new users should install technomancy's user-packages because they're a
great starting point" people will say.


> Within package.el we could handle it is a special kind of package
> instead, but I'd rather try to avoid reifying it into an actual
> directory under ~/.emacs.d/elpa.

I don't see the point otherwise. It's the simplest thing to do. Users
don't spend a lot of time looking at this stuff.

Nic