Re: A flaw in current emacsen package setup?

[Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>]

Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> writes:

> 	Perhaps add-after-local (or a renamed version of the function)
>  should be provided by default, and policy changed to recommend the
>  use of that function.
>
> 	I am copying this message to all packages currently violating
>  the emacsen policy on load-paths. Please consider this fair warning
>  for serious bugs to be filed when we reach a solution of this issue.

OK, the new function is (debian-pkg-add-load-path-item <item>) and all
add-on packages are required to use this to augment the load path.

Here's the relevant revised policy section.  Please read it, and
please let me know if there are problems.  The code hasn't been
heavily tested yet.

  9) Emacs lisp load path.

     At a minimum, each emacs must have the following directories in the
     given order in their load path:

       /etc/<flavor>
       /etc/emacs
       /usr/local/share/emacs/<upstream>/site-lisp
       /usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
       /usr/share/emacs/<flavor>/site-lisp
       /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp

     where <upstream> is the normal emacs upstream version number for
     the relevant flavor like 20.2 or 19.34.

     Emacs add-on packages may not modify load-path directly.  They must
     use (debian-pkg-add-load-path-item <path>).  This function will
     make sure that their additions end up in the right place -- before
     the emacs system directories, but after the /usr/local/
     directories.  Also, add-on packages will need to either check
     (fboundp 'debian-pkg-add-load-path-item) before calling this
     function, or add a dependency on emacsen-common (>= 1.4.14).

-- 
Rob Browning
rlb @defaultvalue.org, @linuxdevel.com, and @debian.org
Previously @cs.utexas.edu
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