Problem installing Org using the Emacs packaging system

[Alain.Cochard@unistra.fr]

Hello.  An excerpt of the page 

https://orgmode.org/manual/Installation.html

is 

   Using Emacs packaging system

   Recent Emacs distributions include a packaging system which lets you
   install Elisp libraries. You can install Org from the “package menu”,
   with M-x list-packages. See Package Menu.

       Important: You need to do this in a session where no ‘.org’ file has
       been visited, i.e., where no Org built-in function have been
       loaded. Otherwise autoload Org functions will mess up the
       installation.

   To avoid interference with built-in Org mode, you can use command line:

   emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
   (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

   This approach has the advantage of isolating the upgrade process from a
   running Emacs session, ensuring that version conflicts can not arise.

I have used the emacs batch command above on a number of machines but it
always failed (see below), so I guess I am doing something wrong, but what?

Anyway, is it correct that one does not need this command to avoid the
above mentioned interferences, provided that a single Emacs session is
running, and in which no org file has been visited (.org or otherwise)?

Thanks.


NB: I of course type the emacs command on a single line of a regular
terminal.

* Fedora 40 

Linux frac.u-strasbg.fr 6.11.5-200.fc40.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Tue
Oct 22 19:13:11 UTC 2024 x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 29.4 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.42,
cairo version 1.18.0) of 2024-07-16

Org mode version 9.6.15 (release_9.6.15 @ /usr/share/emacs/29.4/lisp/org/)
Mark set

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Package refresh done
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Package refresh done

Error: wrong-type-argument (package-desc nil)
  mapbacktrace(#f(compiled-function (evald func args flags) #<bytecode
  0x1a9410ba93aef0d9>)) debug-early-backtrace() debug-early(error
  (wrong-type-argument package-desc nil)) package-upgrade(org) (progn
  (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents)
  (package-upgrade 'org)) command-line-1(("-eval" "(progn (require
  'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents)
  (package-upgrade 'org))")) command-line() normal-top-level()
Wrong type argument: package-desc, nil

* Fedora 38

Linux fedora 6.8.9-100.fc38.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu May 2
18:50:49 UTC 2024 x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 29.3 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.41,
cairo version 1.17.8) of 2024-03-25

Org mode version 9.6.15 (release_9.6.15 @ /usr/share/emacs/29.3/lisp/org/)

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Package refresh done
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Package refresh done

Error: wrong-type-argument (package-desc nil)
  mapbacktrace(#f(compiled-function (evald func args flags) #<bytecode 0x1880ef4263aef0ea>))
  debug-early-backtrace()
  debug-early(error (wrong-type-argument package-desc nil))
  package-upgrade(org)
  (progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))
  command-line-1(("-eval" "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"))
  command-line()
  normal-top-level()
Wrong type argument: package-desc, nil


* Another Fedora 38

Linux fruc.u-strasbg.fr 6.5.6-200.fc38.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Fri
Oct 6 19:02:35 UTC 2023 x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 28.3 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.38,
cairo version 1.17.8) of 2023-09-24

Org mode version 9.5.5 (release_9.5.5 @ /usr/share/emacs/28.3/lisp/org/)

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Failed to download ‘gnu’ archive.
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Package refresh done
Failed to download ‘nongnu’ archive.
Debugger entered--Lisp error: (void-function package-upgrade)
  (package-upgrade 'org)
  (progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))
  command-line-1(("-eval" "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (pa..."))
  command-line()
  normal-top-level()

* Fedora 34

Linux frac 5.17.12-100.fc34.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon May 30 17:47:02 UTC
2022 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 27.2 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.30,
cairo version 1.17.4) of 2021-08-07

Org mode version 9.4.4 (release_9.4.4 @ /usr/share/emacs/27.2/lisp/org/)

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Package refresh done

Symbol’s function definition is void: package-upgrade

* Debian

Linux petrelvm-lin.eost.unistra.fr 6.1.0-22-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC
Debian 6.1.94-1 (2024-06-21) x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 28.2 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.38, cairo
version 1.16.0) of 2024-06-25, modified by Debian

Org mode version 9.5.5 (release_9.5.5 @ /usr/share/emacs/28.2/lisp/org/)

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Package refresh done
Debugger entered--Lisp error: (void-function package-upgrade)
  (package-upgrade 'org)
  (progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))
  command-line-1(("-eval" "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (pa..."))
  command-line()
  normal-top-level()

* Ubuntu

Linux loreen-tablet 6.8.0-45-generic #45~22.04.1-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC
Wed Sep 11 15:25:05 UTC 2 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

GNU Emacs 28.1 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.33, cairo
version 1.16.0) of 2022-05-31

Org mode version 9.5.2 (release_9.5.2-25-gaf6f12 @
/usr/share/emacs/28.1/lisp/org/)

$ emacs -Q -batch -eval "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize)
(package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"

Importing package-keyring.gpg...
Importing package-keyring.gpg...done
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Contacting host: elpa.gnu.org:443
Package refresh done
Contacting host: elpa.nongnu.org:443
Package refresh done

Error: wrong-type-argument (package-desc nil)
  mapbacktrace(#f(compiled-function (evald func args flags) #<bytecode 0x9d980ba93aef0ed>))
  debug-early-backtrace()
  debug-early(error (wrong-type-argument package-desc nil))
  package-upgrade(org)
  (progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))
  command-line-1(("-eval" "(progn (require 'package) (package-initialize) (package-refresh-contents) (package-upgrade 'org))"))
  command-line()
  normal-top-level()
Wrong type argument: package-desc, nil

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