Fall back to standard use of =package.el=

.gitignore

@@ -19,6 +19,6 @@ org-store-link
 
 /_minted-README
 /eln-cache
-/elpa-*
+/elpa
 /quelpa
 /var

README.org

@@ -112,16 +112,16 @@ Here follows a list of interesting Emacs configurations:
 :CUSTOM_ID: sec:early-init-file
 :END:
 
-The configuration inhibits enabling of [[info:emacs#Packages][Emacs' package management system]] at
+Note: src_emacs-lisp[:exports code]{(find-function #'hack-local-variables)}
-startup in order to get more control in the [[#sec:package-bootstrapping][Package Bootstrapping]] section.
 
 #+attr_latex: :options bgcolor=LightGoldenrodYellow
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle early-init.el
   ;;; early-init.el --- user early-init file        -*- lexical-binding: t -*-
   ;;; Commentary:
   ;;; Code:
-  (setq package-enable-at-startup nil)
+  (setq load-prefer-newer t)
-  (setq-default load-prefer-newer t)
+
+  (require 'no-littering nil 'noerror)
 
   (provide 'early-init)
   ;; Emacs looks for "Local variables:" after the last "?\n?\f".
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ startup in order to get more control in the [[#sec:package-bootstrapping][Packag
 The [[info:elisp#Quoting][quoting (info)]] and the [[info:elisp#Backquote][backquote (info)]] pages explain how to understand the
 reader macros ~'~ (quote), ~`~ (backquote), ~,~ (substitute) and ~@,~ (splice)
 in the ~custom-set-variable~ function call below. A tutorial of how to use those
-reader macro's is the [[https://mullikine.github.io/posts/macro-tutorial/][didactic emacs-lisp macro example]].
+reader macros is the [[https://mullikine.github.io/posts/macro-tutorial/][didactic emacs-lisp macro example]].
 
 Because of the ~custom-set-variable~ function call, the [[info:emacs#Init File][init file (info)]] does
 not load the ~custom-file~ as [[info:emacs#Saving Customizations][saving customizations (info)]] recommends.
@@ -156,9 +156,7 @@ not load the ~custom-file~ as [[info:emacs#Saving Customizations][saving customi
    '(after-save-hook #'executable-make-buffer-file-executable-if-script-p)
    '(column-number-mode t)
    '(cursor-type 'box)
-   `(custom-file
+   `(custom-file ,(make-temp-file "emacs-custom-"))
-     ,(locate-user-emacs-file
-       (format "custom-%s.%s.el" emacs-major-version emacs-minor-version)))
    '(epg-pinentry-mode 'loopback)
    '(global-hl-line-mode t)
    '(global-hl-line-sticky-flag t)
@@ -175,9 +173,27 @@ not load the ~custom-file~ as [[info:emacs#Saving Customizations][saving customi
    '(package-archives '(("gnu" . "https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/")
                         ("nongnu" . "https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/")
                         ("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/")))
-   `(package-user-dir
+   `(package-selected-packages
-     ,(locate-user-emacs-file
+     `(
-       (format "elpa-%s.%s" emacs-major-version emacs-minor-version)))
+       ,@(when (version< emacs-version "28.0")
+           '(org))                ; plain text thought organizer
+       anaconda-mode              ; strangles python-mode
+       auctex                     ; Aalborg University Center TeX
+       blacken                    ; Black Python-code formatter client
+       citar                      ; bibliography handling
+       citeproc                   ; bibliography handling
+       company-anaconda           ; complete anything in anaconda-mode
+       consult                    ; consult completing-read
+       eglot                      ; Emacs polyGLOT LSP client
+       embark                     ; act on any buffer selection
+       htmlize                    ; convert buffer contents to HTML
+       leuven-theme               ; beautiful color theme
+       marginalia                 ; minibuffer margin notes
+       orderless                  ; Emacs completion style
+       pdf-tools                  ; interactive docview replacement
+       pyenv-mode                 ; Python environment selector
+       quelpa                     ; install Emacs packages from source
+       vertico))                  ; VERTical Interactive Completion
    '(python-indent-guess-indent-offset nil)
    '(recentf-mode t)
    '(save-place-mode t)
@@ -223,13 +239,8 @@ archives:
 Finally, the [[https://github.com/quelpa/quelpa][quelpa]] tool allows to fetch code from any source and build a
 package on your computer before installation.
 
-The output of the byte-compiler may change with each new Emacs release.
+The order of the next two package-bootstrapping blocks matters
-Therefore, in order to prevent collisions between different Emacs versions, the
+because first block prepares Emacs for the second block.
-package-user-directory has a suffix containing the major- and minor-version
-numbers of Emacs.
-
-The order of the next 1nd, 2nd, and 3rd package-bootstrapping blocks matters
-because each of those blocks prepares Emacs for the next block.
 
 If present, the package [[https://github.com/emacscollective/no-littering][no-littering]] helps to keep =~/.emacs.d= clean.
 
@@ -247,14 +258,13 @@ list of packages.
 #+attr_latex: :options bgcolor=LightGoldenrodYellow
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp
   ;; The is the 1st package bootstrapping block.
-  (require 'package)
-  (package-initialize)
-
   (unless (require 'no-littering nil 'noerror)
     (package-refresh-contents)
     (package-install 'no-littering)
     (require 'no-littering))
 
+  (package-install-selected-packages)
+
   (defun my-install-packages (packages)
     "Ensure installation of all packages in PACKAGES."
     (dolist (package packages)
@@ -262,46 +272,11 @@ list of packages.
         (package-install package))))
 #+end_src
 
-Install the basic packages and in case this is Emacs-27.2, upgrade [[https://orgmode.org/][Org Mode]] for
-compatibility with Emacs-28.1.  The [[info:elisp#Quoting][quoting (info)]] and the [[info:elisp#Backquote][backquote (info)]]
-pages explain how to understand the reader macros ~'~ (quote), ~`~ (backquote),
-~,~ (substitute) and ~@,~ (splice) in the definition of ~my-packages~ variable
-below.
-
-#+attr_latex: :options bgcolor=LightGoldenrodYellow
-#+begin_src emacs-lisp
-  ;; The is the 2nd package bootstrapping block.
-  (defvar my-packages
-    `(
-      ,@(when (version< emacs-version "28.0")
-          '(org))                 ; plain text thought organizer
-      anaconda-mode               ; strangles python-mode
-      auctex                      ; Aalborg University Center TeX
-      blacken                     ; Black Python-code formatter client
-      citar                       ; bibliography handling
-      citeproc                    ; bibliography handling
-      company-anaconda            ; complete anything in anaconda-mode
-      consult                     ; consult completing-read
-      eglot                       ; Emacs polyGLOT LSP client
-      embark                      ; act on any buffer selection
-      htmlize                     ; convert buffer contents to HTML
-      leuven-theme                ; beautiful color theme
-      marginalia                  ; minibuffer margin notes
-      orderless                   ; Emacs completion style
-      pdf-tools                   ; interactive docview replacement
-      pyenv-mode                  ; Python environment selector
-      quelpa                      ; install Emacs packages from source
-      vertico)                    ; VERTical Interactive Completion
-    "List of packages required packages.")
-
-  (my-install-packages my-packages)
-#+end_src
-
 Facilitate installlation of the optional packages.
 
 #+attr_latex: :options bgcolor=LightGoldenrodYellow
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp
-  ;; The is the 3rd package bootstrapping block.
+  ;; The is the 2nd package bootstrapping block.
   (defvar my-optional-packages
     `(
       ,@(when (version< emacs-version "28.0")