Re: Adding packages to ELPA

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Stefan Monnier <address@hidden>
> Cc: address@hidden
> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 10:44:35 -0400
> 
> - GNU ELPA packages can be released on their own schedule.

Same is true if they are in the Emacs repository.

> - 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.

> - 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?

> > Having them in Emacs will almost immediately contribute to their
> > quality, because much more experienced eyes will look over them.
> 
> I'd hope that the same holds for elpa packages.  That's why you can type
> "make" in `elpa' to compile and prepare all the packages (you just need
> to add that directory to your package-directory-list).

I currently don't build ELPA (and not even bother to keep it up to
date), and when I see a bug report about it, I simply move on.

So in summary, I see no important advantages in keeping packages
separate.  I do see disadvantages.

And after all that, I still don't understand why it is so important to
encourage people to bring more packages, if we won't make that part of
Emacs.