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Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA
From: |
JD Smith |
Subject: |
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA |
Date: |
Sat, 17 Feb 2024 21:14:06 -0500 |
> On Feb 17, 2024, at 8:42 PM, Po Lu <luangruo@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> JD Smith <jdtsmith@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> There was a recent discussion about which lisp/progmodes packages
>> belong in core. A sentiment was expressed that useful languages with
>> non-negligible user bases should probably go in, and others should be
>> in ELPA.
>>
>> I want to bring up a related point: it should be possible to retire
>> packages from core, once their relevance drops below a critical
>> threshold [1].
>
> Every instance of this is a mistake.
That would imply that every instance of bringing a package into core is not a
mistake, which suggests superhuman forecasting and decision-making. But even
when including a package is beneficial, situations change over time (>20 yrs,
in this case). It seems only prudent to reevaluate whether a given package
still provides sufficient benefit given the non-zero costs associated with it.
> Why is it so essential that such
> packages be removed from core? What practical advantage does that hold?
Many which I mentioned in my initial message. The most salient:
- Reduces maintenance burdens, freeing time for packages that have more
pressing issues. I have heard from emacs maintainers who have spent significant
time trying to understand and fix bugs in IDLWAVE code that is likely unused
(even by me).
- Removes "tripping hazards" for users who inadvertently activate the mode for
unrelated files and are confused (this is not hypothetical: I've had numerous
reports).
- Cuts down on "extra noise" in, e.g., the top level Info help.
> A Lisp file is considered part of Emacs, whether it be in core or in
> ELPA. They are expected to meet like standards, and bugs (in the
> absence of a maintainer) are the responsibility of the same Emacs
> developers who respond to bugs that concern Emacs in general, i.e., like
> developers.
Is this really so, in practice? I have packages in ELPA which are effectively
untouched except by me, other than on first ingestion. And they draw updates
from a repo I maintain myself. Maybe I've misconstrued the situation, but my
understanding has been that core packages receive far more attention from
maintainers. And rightly so, IMO: everyone has them installed, after all.
Also, if ELPA and core are truly equivalent, I cannot then understand the
common strategy of "let it mature on ELPA for a few years, then potentially
migrate to core."
>> It deserves support in Emacs. Just not, IMO, in core.
>
> Why not? Why does _anything_, to speak nothing of a package already in
> core, not "deserve" support in core, while deserving support in ELPA?
Because in ELPA, users must proactively opt-in to the use of the package. For
such users — those who have actively sought it out — in stark contrast to the
vast majority of Emacs users, the benefits dramatically outweigh the costs.
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, (continued)
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/18
- RE: [External] : Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Drew Adams, 2024/02/17
- Re: [External] : Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, JD Smith, 2024/02/17
- Re: [External] : Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Eli Zaretskii, 2024/02/17
- Re: [External] : Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, JD Smith, 2024/02/17
- RE: [External] : Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Drew Adams, 2024/02/17
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/17
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, JD Smith, 2024/02/17
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/17
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/17
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA,
JD Smith <=
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/17
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/18
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, JD Smith, 2024/02/18
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Eli Zaretskii, 2024/02/18
- Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/18
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Eli Zaretskii, 2024/02/18
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Dmitry Gutov, 2024/02/18
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Eli Zaretskii, 2024/02/18
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, JD Smith, 2024/02/18
Re: Moving packages out of core to ELPA, Po Lu, 2024/02/18