Re: Adding packages to ELPA

[Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

>> - GNU ELPA packages can be released on their own schedule.
> Same is true if they are in the Emacs repository.

Not really.  There are always interferences one way or the other between
Emacs's release cycle and the packages's own release cycles.

>> - we're not seriously affected by bugs in GNU ELPA packages since they
>> can be fixed and released independently.
> This is actually a disadvantage: it contributes to the lower quality
> of their code.

I feel like we're already stretched pretty thin, so adding more packages
into Emacs's core would probably not improve those packages by much, and
if it does, it'd probably be to the detriment of others.

>> - the maintainer of `foo' might not like to have to download a 300MB
>> repository to hack on her 300-lines package.
> ELPA is currently 52MB on my disk, which is not negligible (if 300MB
> aren't).  Does this mean you will change your mind when ELPA hits
> 100MB?

Indeed, and that is also a problem.  For that reason, more of the newer
packages are added as branches rather than as directories in the main
branch.  This mean you don't need the whole repository to hack on them.


        Stefan