Re: [ELPA] New package: plz

[Stefan Monnier]

>>> It's an HTTP library that uses Curl as a backend.
>> I hope we can consolidate this with `request.el` and `url.el` sooner
>> rather than later.
> I'm not sure what that would entail.  Each library is very different
> from the others, both in terms of API and--especially--internally.

E.g.:
- wrappers that provide request.el's API while using plz internally.
- A `url.el` backend for plz.
- A plz backend the `url-retrieve`.

>> As others mentioned, adding a backend to plz which uses url.el (or at
>> least doesn't require `curl` to be installed) would be great.
> Using url.el internally would inherit its problems, defeating the
> purpose of plz.el.

I don't think so.  It would mean only that you'd suffer from those
problems if `curl` is not installed, while still benefiting from
a better API.

`url.el` has its share of problems, but let's not forget that it works
well enough in many cases.  A `url.el` backend doesn't involve fixing
its limitations.  It just means that code can use the plz API (and
presumably benefit from the more reliable behavior when `curl` is
available) while still working as well as before when `curl` is
not installed.

> But it could develop its own, non-curl-based backend...

I assumed that reusing url.el code should be easier than rewriting all
of it from scratch, but yes, the most important thing is to match
`url.el`s current killer feature which is that it works well enough in
many important cases without relying on any third party application.


        Stefan