Re: Loading a package applies automatically to future sessions?

[Charles A. Roelli]

> From: Radon Rosborough <address@hidden>
> Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2018 22:30:14 -0800
> 
> > I think there should be a way to activate a package explicitly for the
> > current session _without_ automatically activating it for future
> > sessions.
> 
> The failure of package.el to support this use case is (one reason) why
> I wrote straight.el [1]. Another tool which is designed to extend
> package.el to allow for temporary activation of packages is Try [2].
> If functionality in this area were added directly to package.el, I
> think it would be a great improvement.
> 
> [1]: https://github.com/raxod502/straight.el
> [2]: https://github.com/larstvei/Try

One of the proposals listed in an earlier message was to not insert
the call to package-initialize anymore:

> URL: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2017-09/msg00023.html
>
> ==> Proposal H: Make the user do it manually

> Summary:
>   - make it so that package.el doesn't modify the init-file, but don't
>     change anything else
>   - this is how it worked before the first "solution" to this problem
>     was implemented

> Advantages:
>   - Emacs does not modify the user's init-file

> Disadvantages:
>   - package.el does not work out of the box, since package
>     customizations will fail when put into the init-file
>   - consequently we get lots of superfluous bug reports

FWIW, taking this route would allow people to install packages in a
session without affecting their initialization file, so it would be
the user's burden to arrange activating the package in future
sessions.  It could at least lead to a better understanding of
package.el for the average user, but as stated, it would probably be
the cause of at least a few "superfluous bug reports".