Re: package-vc.el should not fetch all commits.

[amano.kenji]

I can contribute patches even if I have only one specific commit or the latest 
commit.

That's a bad UX. package-vc.el is the only built-in way to install VCS 
packages, and there should be a built-in way to install only one commit and 
update to only one commit.

Gentoo linux achieved one-commit update and one-commit installation for its own 
package repositories because people did not want repositories to grow in size 
over time.

On Friday, March 1st, 2024 at 1:33 PM, Philip Kaludercic <philipk@posteo.net> 
wrote:

> "amano.kenji" amano.kenji@proton.me writes:
> 
> > package-vc-install fetches all commits for a VCS emacs package.
> > 
> > I just want the latest.
> > 
> > package-vc-upgrade and package-vc-upgrade-all should prune everything 
> > except the latest commit.
> > 
> > I don't want VCS packages to grow in size over time.
> 
> 
> That is not really what package-vc is about (the intention /is/ to have
> the revision history available, so that you can contribute patches).
> That being said, if you say you are only interested in packages from
> Git, you can use this quick hack:
> 
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> 
> (require 'package)
> (require 'vc-git)
> (defun package-install-once-from-vc (url name)
> (interactive
> (let* ((url (read-string "URL: "))
> (name (file-name-base (directory-file-name url))))
> (list url (read-string "Name: " name))))
> (let* ((tmp (make-temp-file "package" t))
> (dir (expand-file-name name tmp)))
> (make-directory dir)
> (unless (vc-git--out-ok "clone" "--depth" "1" url dir)
> (error "Failed to install %s from %s" name url))
> (let ((desc (package-install-file dir)))
> (message "Package `%s' installed at version %s"
> (package-desc-name desc)
> (package-version-join
> (package-desc-version desc)))
> desc)))
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
> 
> 
> This is still missing some of the conveniences of package-vc, such as
> building manuals, resolving dependencies, etc. but you could integrate
> `package-vc--unpack-1' into the mix to get that to work as well. As is
> the case with vc-packages in general, updating is difficult.
> 
> --
> Philip Kaludercic on peregrine