Re: [NonGNU ELPA] New package: project-store

On Sun, Aug 16, 2026 at 3:44 AM Philip Kaludercic <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Lin Jian <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > Philip Kaludercic <[email protected]> writes:
> >
> >> A web search is just a heuristic for what the average understanding is
> >> of a term.  As we have said, we won't override your decision if you
> >> insist on the name, I'd just like to make sure that you understood the
> >> points of view that Stéphane and I are raising, as I am under the
> >> impression that there might have been a misunderstanding.
> >
> > I totally get your reasoning to prefer project-nix-store over
> > project-store.  I think it is reasonable.  But due to other things I
> > mentioned before, I decide to still use project-store.  Each of these
> > two names has pros and cons.  No one is clearly better than the other.
> >
> > However, I do not quite get what name Stéphane suggests.  So I asked.  I
> > do not think Stéphane suggests project-nix-store because many of
> > Stéphane's arguments for not using project-store also apply to
> > project-nix-store.  Based on Stéphane's web search results of "nix
> > store", I guess Stéphane's web search results of "project nix store"
> > won't be satisfactory.
>
> I wasn't assuming that Stéphane suggests the same name, but perhaps
> let's let him respond.
>
> > I also do not quite get Stéphane's reasoning.  If people want to know
> > what an *Emacs package* project-store does, shouldn't they refer to its
> > doc?  Why do a web search, without even adding *Emacs* to the search
> > terms?
>
> My best guess is that if you are you are looking through a list of
> package names, e.g. if you are using M-x package-install and just
> looking at the completion suggestions, you wouldn't guess what the
> package is about just from the name, or could even misinterpret what it
> is about since "store" is rather generic.  This is not to say that this
> is a fatal situation, just that it might trip up some users.
>

How about the namespace "project-nix" and elide "store" entirely to keep it
short?  That Nix/Guix are colloquially called "stores" by some is not the
detail that matters for this package, IMO.  The first link I get when I
Google nix store is https://search.nixos.org/packages which doesn't even
mention the word store anywhere.  I'm aware that Nix supports several kinds
of "stores" and using the word store in the package might suggest support
for them all; e.g., the http binary cache, the s3 binary cache, etc.  Even
"project-nix-local" would be more precise if you intend to support only
that store.

As ELPA is considered a part of Emacs, I think it is a collectively good
thing that package names are well chosen and to avoid potential conflicts
in the future.