GNU bug report logs - #21858
package-initialize: no good in .emacs!

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2015 22:17:40 -0500

X-Debbugs-CC: bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com

Emacs 25’s package system liberally modified my ~/.emacs, adding a call do `package-initialize’.

What happens when I call emacs from the command line (as opposed to one installed elsewhere, like a GUI Emacs in /Applications)?

> An error has occurred while loading `/Users/dr/.emacs':
> 
> Symbol's function definition is void: package-initialize


… because my command-line emacs is an older one, such as the one that comes with the latest version of OS X (Emacs 22).

This is not a good state of affairs...

Message #8 received at 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>
To: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com
Subject: Re: bug#21858: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2015 15:46:46 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On Sun, Nov 8, 2015 at 4:17 AM, David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
wrote:

> > Symbol's function definition is void: package-initialize

Obviously you could work around it by adding

(unless (fboundp 'package-initialize) (defalias 'package-initialize
'ignore))

to your init file...

> This is not a good state of affairs...

...but I couldn't agree more with you about packages messing with the init
file. I *hate* custom for several reasons, and that's one of them.

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #11 received at 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Artur Malabarba <bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com>
To: Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>
Cc: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>, 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21858: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2015 15:41:56 +0000

2015-11-08 14:46 GMT+00:00 Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>:
> On Sun, Nov 8, 2015 at 4:17 AM, David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> > Symbol's function definition is void: package-initialize
>
> Obviously you could work around it by adding
>
> (unless (fboundp 'package-initialize) (defalias 'package-initialize
> 'ignore))

Or just comment out that `(package-initialize)' line, as explained in
the comments inserted above it.
If you do that, you're left with the usual behaviour from Emacs 24.

Message #14 received at 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Wolfgang Jenkner <wjenkner <at> inode.at>
To: Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>
Cc: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>, bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com,
 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21858: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2015 18:00:13 +0100

On Sun, Nov 08 2015, Juanma Barranquero wrote:

> I *hate* custom for several reasons, and that's one of them.

If only it could be ripped out of emacs...

Anyway, isn't setting `custom-file' enough to prevent custom from
messing with ~/.emacs?

(I realize this bug report is not about custom, sorry).

Message #17 received at 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
To: Wolfgang Jenkner <wjenkner <at> inode.at>
Cc: Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>, bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com,
 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#21858: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2015 12:03:04 -0500

On Nov 8, 2015, at 12:00 PM, Wolfgang Jenkner <wjenkner <at> inode.at> wrote:

> Anyway, isn't setting `custom-file' enough to prevent custom from
> messing with ~/.emacs?

Yes, and that works.

The more surprising is it when now `package’ likes to mess with it.

Message #22 received at 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> gmail.com>
To: David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 21858 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bruce.connor.am <at> gmail.com
Subject: Re: bug#21858: package-initialize: no good in .emacs!
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2018 09:19:06 -0500

tags 21858 fixed
close 21858 27.1
quit

David Reitter <david.reitter <at> gmail.com> writes:

> Emacs 25’s package system liberally modified my ~/.emacs, adding a call do `package-initialize’.

This is fixed in master now.

[1: 24acb31c04]: 2018-02-17 13:36:16 +0200
  Add early init file, stop package-initialize insertion
  https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=24acb31c04b4048b85311d794e600ecd7ce60d3b

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