Re: Integrating package.el

[Stefan Monnier]

Tom> It also needs to be changed to be able to manage multiple install
Tom> locations, if it is to be used to manage site-lisp.
> Good point, but do you mean multiple search locations for existing
> installs?  I would expect a single install location, otherwise it gets
> complicated...

You need at least 2 install locations: one for user-installed packages
and one for admin-installed packages (the "site-lisp" mentioned above).

> I think the pre-install and post-install steps are pretty important.
> Without them, packaging Gnus doesn't do much.  I want the post-install
> to actually set up the user's Gnus configuration.  This has been a very

This is not part of an install, it's a separate step (a "configuration"
step).  Consider the case where the package is installed in site-lisp,
where it needs to work for all users.

"packaging Gnus" is only supposed to solve the problem of replacing
a version of Gnus with another independently from the version of Emacs
you use.

> seems like this is something external to Gnus, a function of the ELPA
> wrapper (although it may be bundled within Gnus) rather than something
> Gnus will always run for new users.  This is the major question I have
> before I propose this packaging on the Gnus mailing list.

I don't think it needs to be external to Gnus.  You're basically asking
for a Gnus wizard, I think.


        Stefan