bug#81105: 32.0.50; installed ELPA package info missing on some distros after commit 7c22a7d

> From: Philip Kaludercic <[email protected]>
> Cc: [email protected],  [email protected],  [email protected]
> Date: Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:21:52 +0000
> 
> Eli Zaretskii <[email protected]> writes:
> 
> >> From: Philip Kaludercic <[email protected]>
> >> Cc: [email protected], Vonfry <[email protected]>, "'Eli Zaretskii'"
> >>  <[email protected]>
> >> Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:18:19 +0000
> >> 
> >> In `package--add-info-node' we want to avoid loading info just to add a
> >> directory to `Info-directory-list', so we use
> >> `Info-default-directory-list' instead.  The issue here is that the
> >> INFOPATH environmental variable is set _without_ a trailing ":", then
> >> `Info-default-directory-list' is ignored and we don't get any manuals
> >> for packages in the Info listing.  The main question is if this is
> >> something that we should fix by just adjusting something in package.el
> >> (in the worse case we can revert our change on emacs-31 and go on
> >> loading info) or is there a proper way to use info.el here?
> >
> > I don't see how we could fix this at all, let alone in Emacs 31, to
> > support the case of INFOPATH not ending in a colon.  If any solution
> > is possible, it would mean completely rewriting the code which sets up
> > Info-directory-list from the known sources, and I currently don't even
> > have an idea how to do that without breaking all the use cases we
> > already support.
> >
> > So at this point, I prefer to take position that we expect INFOPATH,
> > if set, to always end in a colon, in order to support installation of
> > packages with Info manual.  Since INFOPATH overrides any other builtin
> > settings, not ending it in a colon is dangerous (not to say
> > nonsensical), and distros should not do it.
> 
> So you would say that this is not a bug, and that the user is expected
> to adjust INFOPATH on their own?

Yes.

> Should we document this fact
> somewhere, as otherwise I wouldn't be surprised that many people will
> not realize that they cannot find ELPA manuals due to some global
> configuration.

Yes, documenting this is a good idea.