Subject: Re: bug#19296: [PATCH] Package archives now have priorities.

From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 23:59:13 -0500

>> > I don't think there is a good solution for that.
>> But that is the problem that causes most harm since people get stuck
>> with an old version.
> I don't think this is the problem that causes most harm.  For people to
> be stuck with an old version, the package needs to be removed from
> MELPA, else the version from MELPA will always be "the newest".

Experience shows that MELPA can fall behind also if the development
moves elsewhere (e.g. in GNU ELPA) and its recipe is not updated.

> The problem that I am trying to solve is that it is currently
> meaningless to have e.g. both MELPA and MELPA Stable in the archive
> list,

I see, that makes sense.

> What requirements would a patch need to fulfill that you deem it
> acceptable to be applied to the Emacs repository that solves my
> original problem (i.e. only install packages from a given repository if
> the package is not available from other repositories)?

I'd like a solution that also addresses, at least partly, the other
problem (the one where the MELPA version is superseded by a version
elsewhere such as in GNU ELPA).

It's not important to automatically upgrade the package from the MELPA
version to the GNU ELPA version, but the user should somehow be warned
at some point that the MELPA version is not the latest any more.

I think in general it would be desirable to try and remember where
a package came from so that upgrading to a version in another repository
doesn't happen automatically.

        Stefan