Re: PL support

[Yuan Fu]

> On May 9, 2020, at 3:26 PM, Sébastien G <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> Le samedi 09 mai 2020 à 18:36 +0100, João Távora a écrit :
>> enhance eglot.el to automatically download server programs.
> 
> 
> Maybe downloading and installing server programs can be delegate to a
> new "external-tools.el" library. Something that can manage not only
> language server, but any extrnal tools requested by a mode.
> 
> This library could provide an API to:
> - Declare, in a single elisp function call, an external tool with a
>  name and how install it (which pkg and pkg manager to use)
> - Let modes request the presence of specific external tool with a
>  single elisp function call
> - Modes can, optionnaly, request the latest version of the external
>  tool to be present
> 
> When an external tools is requested:
> - If the tool is not installed: Install it
> - If the tool is already installed and latest version is required:
>  Update it
> - If the tool is already installed and latest version is not required:
>  Do nothing
> - When installing or updating something, ask user confirmation before
>  do it
> - If the tool requested cannot be installed, the mode can know it and
>  desactivate some of its features.
> 
> 
> "external-tools" could be useful to many modes and elisp functions.

I have thought about a similar facility. While convenient for package authors 
and users, maintaining the sources and installation of these programs is a 
non-trivial maintenance burden and could come with security risks. I’m not sure 
if Emacs has enough man-power for that.

Yuan