Subject: Re: bug#62750: 29.0.50; Commands 'package-update' and 'package-update-all' should be called '*-upgrade'

From: Dmitry Gutov <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 May 2023 16:19:29 +0300

On 01/05/2023 04:55, Stefan Monnier wrote:
>> That might also be the case when upgrading a package that some others
>> depend on (newer version could also have macros deleted or renamed).
> 
> We try to make upgrades "safe", but there's usually no such effort the
> other way around, so downgrading is definitely more risky in practice,
> even though in theory things can break in all cases.

Very true.

>> Would "update" be a more proper term to cover both upgrading and
>> downgrading?
> 
> I think if you specify the target version, then `package-install` sounds
> about right (and I suspect it may already "work").

It indeed "works" in the sense that package-install performs two 
different functions

- "Install package xyz" (i.e. make sure it is installed, some version),
- "Install xyz version 1.2.3 (installs that version)

It doesn't delete the currently installed version in the latter case 
either, though, and when  downgrading we'll almost certainly want that 
to happen.