Subject: bug#44748: [PATCH] New section on package initialization; document quickstart

From: Stefan Kangas <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2020 17:00:18 -0800

Severity: wishlist

Please find attached a patch to add a new section on package
initialization to the user manual, and to document package-quickstart.

Thoughts?
From 11d1d9845fc8d6850a9b342c2a7f92de56aa3623 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefan Kangas <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2020 01:55:08 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] New section on package initialization; document quickstart

* doc/emacs/package.texi (Package Initialization): Add new section
including information previously under "Package Installation".
Document package-quickstart.
(Packages): Update menu.
---
 doc/emacs/package.texi | 25 +++++++++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/emacs/package.texi b/doc/emacs/package.texi
index 4981dd50c7..3e9be39475 100644
--- a/doc/emacs/package.texi
+++ b/doc/emacs/package.texi
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ Packages
 * Package Menu::         Buffer for viewing and managing packages.
 * Package Statuses::     Which statuses a package can have.
 * Package Installation:: Options for package installation.
+* Package Initialization:: How packages are initialized.
 * Package Files::        Where packages are installed.
 @end menu
 
@@ -409,12 +410,15 @@ Package Installation
 wide-ranging effects on the Emacs session.  For such information,
 consult the package's help buffer.
 
-  After a package is installed, it is automatically made available by
-Emacs in all subsequent sessions.  This happens at startup, before
-processing the init file but after processing the early init file
-(@pxref{Early Init File}).  As an exception, Emacs does not make
-packages available at startup if invoked with the @samp{-q} or
-@samp{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial Options}).
+@node Package Initialization
+@section Package Initialization
+
+Installed packages are automatically made available by Emacs in all
+subsequent sessions.  This happens at startup, before processing the
+init file but after processing the early init file (@pxref{Early Init
+File}).  As an exception, Emacs does not make packages available at
+startup if invoked with the @samp{-q} or @samp{--no-init-file} options
+(@pxref{Initial Options}).
 
 @vindex package-enable-at-startup
   To keep Emacs from automatically making packages available at
@@ -423,6 +427,15 @@ Package Installation
 is read before loading the regular init file.  Currently this variable
 cannot be set via Customize.
 
+@findex package-quickstart-refresh
+@vindex package-quickstart
+  If you have many packages installed, you can improve startup times
+by setting the user option @code{package-quickstart} to @code{t}.
+This requires you to manually run the command
+@code{package-quickstart-refresh} when the activations need to be
+changed, such as when you change the value of
+@code{package-load-list}.
+
 @findex package-activate-all
   If you have set @code{package-enable-at-startup} to @code{nil}, you
 can still make packages available either during or after startup.  To
-- 
2.29.2