Re: Stability of core packages (was: Not easy at all to upgrade :core packages like Eglot)

[Jim Porter]

On 4/19/2023 3:29 PM, João Távora wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 10:58 PM Jim Porter <jporterbugs@gmail.com> wrote:
> > As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I just use the *Packages* buffer
> > and 'package-menu-mark-upgrades' (bound to "U"). That works on older
> > Emacsen too. In 29, 'package-update' would make it easier to update a
> > single package though, and 'package-update-all' provides a programmatic
> > way to do what I do interactively in 28.
>
> No. Both are absent in Emacs 28.

Yes, but the "U" keybinding is in Emacs 28, which is what I meant there.

> And besides, "U" _also does different things in Emacs 28 and Emacs 29.
>   In 28 it _will_ upgrade Eglot to the latest (so they tell me). But
> not in Emacs 29.

That depends. If I had previously installed Eglot in 28, and then 
download Emacs 29 and upgrade my packages (without deleting my elpa/ 
dir), I'll still get new versions of Eglot from GNU ELPA. I think that 
part works as expected.

> By default, Emacs comes with GNU ELPA configured only, I think.
> And Eglot has always existed there.  I don't know what you mean
> by "pin".  I do know some users _also_ had Eglot on MELPA to get
> an even newer version, but I've never really recommended that.

You can "pin" a package (see 'package-pinned-packages' or the ':pin' 
keyword in use-package) so that you always get updates from a particular 
archive, which is useful if you use a package that rarely gets releases, 
among other things. Then you can set the devel archives to a lower 
priority (see 'package-archive-priorities') and pin that package to the 
devel archive without having to live on the edge for every other 
package. This also means that if I wipe out my elpa/ dir, I get my 
packages from the archive I want.

I think this should also work as a way of declaring that you want Eglot 
from GNU ELPA even if it's built-in, but that part doesn't work right now.