Re: feature/package+vc 04c4c578c7 3/4: Allow for packages to be installed directly from VCS

[Stefan Monnier]

>>>> Do we really want to rely on the package spec for that?
>>> It seems the easiest way to share this information.  Do you have a
>>> different idea?
>>
>> Yes: use the `elpa-admin.el` code to compute that info :-)
>
> It might be possible to use the "previous-revision" VC method to step
> through the history to find the same information too... I would prefer
> that to avoid a strict Git dependency.

That can work when there's a single line of development.  Once you throw
merges into the mix, you'd have to reproduce exactly the algorithm used
by Git, which can become quite challenging.

To be honest, at this point I consider non-Git VCS a bit like XEmacs:
they sure have some really interesting technical characteristics yet
trying to support them is counter-productive.
[ I do hope Git will be replaced by something better, of course, but
  Hg and Brz have already proved they're not Git's successor.  ]


        Stefan