GNU bug report logs - #62750
29.0.50; Commands 'package-update' and 'package-update-all' should be called '*-upgrade'

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From: Adam Porter <adam <at> alphapapa.net>
To: 62750 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#62750: 29.0.50; Commands 'package-update' and 'package-update-all' should be called '*-upgrade'
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2023 07:53:52 -0500

Hi,

Browsing the NEWS file for the first Emacs 29 pretest, I was glad to see
the following new commands:

    +++
    *** New command 'package-update'.
    This command allows you to upgrade packages without using 'M-x
    list-packages'.

    +++
    *** New command 'package-update-all'.
    This command allows updating all packages without any queries.

But, IMHO, these commands should be named 'package-upgrade' and
'package-upgrade-all'.

In my experience in GNU/Linux systems and other software, the verb
"update" is commonly used to refer to updating the list of available
packages and their versions without changing the installed versions of
packages (e.g. in Debian, "apt update"), while the verb "upgrade" is
used to refer to actually installing newer versions of packages
(e.g. "apt upgrade", or GNU Guix's "guix upgrade").  This terminology 
mirrors the inverse, i.e. "downgrading"; it's not said that packages are 
"downdated" or "backdated."

Even the first NEWS entry seems to suggest this conflation, as it says,
"This command allows you to upgrade packages...".

If it's not too late to make this change, I think it would be
worthwhile, as I think it would help prevent confusion for many users.
OTOH, if Emacs 29 is released with "update packages" meaning "to upgrade
packages to newer versions", we may be stuck with this confusing
language for a long time.

Thanks for your consideration, and for your work on Emacs.

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