bug#63064: 29.0.90; installed packages have status available and obsolete

[Stephen Berman]

On Tue, 25 Apr 2023 10:02:08 +0200 Stephen Berman <stephen.berman@gmx.net> 
wrote:

> I updated installed packages by typing `M-x list-packages', then in the
> *Packages* buffer typing `/u', then typing `i' on the lines of the
> packages I wanted to update, and then typing `x'.  After the
> installation completed and the *Packages* buffer was refreshed, I again
> typed `/u' and now *Packages* displayed the following (I omitted the
> "Descriptions" column):
>
>   Packages[upgradable]           Version        Status       Archive
>   nov                            20230421.1548  new          melpa
>   auctex                         13.2.0         available    gnu
>   comint-mime                    0.3            available    gnu
>   company                        20230416.2034  available    melpa
>   dash                           20230415.2324  available    melpa
>   markdown-mode                  20230412.126   available    melpa
>   osm                            20230417.1827  available    melpa
>   posframe                       20230423.927   available    melpa
>   posframe                       1.4.2          available    gnu
>   sly                            20230411.1523  available    melpa
>   tablist                        20230321.705   available    melpa
>   websocket                      20230305.410   available    melpa
>   auctex                         13.1.10        installed
>   comint-mime                    0.2            installed
>   company                        0.9.13         installed
>   dash                           2.19.1         installed
>   markdown-mode                  20230331.913   installed
>   nov                            20230327.1739  installed
>   osm                            20230405.1939  installed
>   posframe                       1.4.1          installed
>   sly                            20230327.1434  installed
>   tablist                        1.0            installed
>   websocket                      1.14           installed
>   auctex                         13.2.0         obsolete
>   comint-mime                    0.3            obsolete
>   markdown-mode                  20230412.126   obsolete
>   nov                            20230411.1833  obsolete
>   nov                            20230421.1548  obsolete
>   osm                            20230417.1827  obsolete
>   posframe                       1.4.2          obsolete
>   sly                            20230411.1523  obsolete
>
> Notice that the highest version of the packages with status "available"
> (plus the one with status "new") also have status "obsolete" but not
> "status" installed.  But in fact, those versions were just installed and
> are present in my ~/.emacs.d/elpa directory, and the versions of these
> packages with status "installed" are also still present in
> ~/.emacs.d/elpa, i.e. they were unexpectedly not removed after the newer
> versions were (physically) installed.
>
> I can reproduce the above display (also in master) when ~/.emacs.d/elpa
> contains the packages listed above with status "installed" or "obsolete"
> and ~/.emacs contains only the following lines:
>
> (package-initialize)
> (custom-set-variables
>  ;; custom-set-variables was added by Custom.
>  ;; If you edit it by hand, you could mess it up, so be careful.
>  ;; Your init file should contain only one such instance.
>  ;; If there is more than one, they won't work right.
>  '(package-archives
>    '(("gnu" . "http://elpa.gnu.org/packages/";)
>      ("nongnu" . "https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/";)
>      ("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/";)))
>  '(package-selected-packages
>    '(dash posframe websocket company tablist osm sly comint-mime 
> markdown-mode auctex nov)))
> (custom-set-faces
>  ;; custom-set-faces was added by Custom.
>  ;; If you edit it by hand, you could mess it up, so be careful.
>  ;; Your init file should contain only one such instance.
>  ;; If there is more than one, they won't work right.
>  )
>
> Then typing `M-x list-packages' followed by `/u' produces the above
> display in the *Packages* buffer.

I have additional information: I copied my entire ~/.emacs.d/elpa
directory and the complete value for package-selected-packages to a
directory under /tmp, then started emacs with HOME set to this
directory, and then invoked list-packages, and this is the resulting
display in the *Packages* buffer (omitting the "Description" column):

  company                        20230416.2034  available    melpa
  posframe                       20230423.927   available    melpa
  sly                            20230507.2335  available    melpa
  tablist                        20230321.705   available    melpa
  websocket                      20230305.410   available    melpa
  company                        0.9.13         installed
  posframe                       1.4.2          installed
  sly                            20230425.2123  installed
  tablist                        1.0            installed
  websocket                      1.14           installed
  posframe                       1.4.1          obsolete
  sly                            20230327.1434  obsolete

In contrast to the above display produced from my "real" ~/.emacs.d,
here there is no doubling in the listing of available and obsolete
packages, and the listing of installed packages is correct.  This seems
to be the intended display of *Packages*.  So there is evidently
something in my "real" ~/.emacs.d that is causing the above aberrant
display, but I have no idea what.  Does anyone here have a suggestion?

(I also see from the copy of my elpa directory in /tmp that here, too,
the old versions of updated packages are not automatically deleted,
which, unless my memory is mistaken, is a change from earlier behavior,
I assume to make the possibility of downgrading easier.)

Steve Berman