[Fedora-packaging] RFC: Update to XEmacs packaging guidelines [(x)emacs-filesystem]

[Jonathan Underwood]

Dear All,

I've just submitted a ticket to FPC to update the (X)Emacs packaging
guidelines. Please see:

https://fedorahosted.org/fpc/ticket/68

The reason for this proposed update is as follows.

Consider the following very common situation: a package's principal
functionality does not require (X)Emacs, but the package also includes
some auxiliary Elisp files to provide support for the package in
(X)Emacs.

Presently the (X)Emacs guidelines require that the package split those
Elisp files out into a subpackage (called emacs-foo) which Requires
(X)Emacs. This was done to avoid the main package dragging in (X)Emacs
and related dependencies for when a system administrator doesn't want
to install (X)Emacs; this is necessary as the (x)emacs-common packages
own the /usr/share/site-{lisp|package} directories where the Elisp
files would be installed.

Ville Skytta recently suggested that a better solution is to create
emacs-filesystem and xemacs-filesystem sub-packages which own the
/usr/share/site-{lisp|package} directories. This then allows packages
to drop Elisp files into the (X)Emacs tree without pulling in (X)Emacs
as dependencies. This has now been done.

Therefore I have updated the Emacs packaging guidelines to reflect
this change. Please see the updated draft here:

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/PackagingDrafts/Emacs

Comments welcome!

Best wishes,
Jonathan.