Reduce the number of initial `package-selected-packages'

README.org

@@ -284,15 +284,11 @@ The [[info:emacs#Init File][init file (info)]] does not load the ~custom-file~ a
  '(package-selected-packages
    `,(delq nil `(async              ; asynchroneous processing
                  auctex             ; Aalborg University Center TeX
-                 company            ; complete anything
                  debbugs            ; access the GNU bug tracker
-                 engrave-faces      ; convert font-lock to ANSI/HTML/LaTeX
-                 magit              ; Git Text-based User Interface
                  no-littering       ; keep `user-emacs-directory' clean
                  org                ; thought organizer
                  ,(when (version< emacs-version "28.9.9")
                     'python)        ; major mode to edit Python files
-                 vertico            ; VERTical Interactive Completion
                  wgrep              ; open a writable grep buffer
                  xr))))             ; undo rx to grok regular expressions
 #+end_src
@@ -1282,6 +1278,21 @@ steps below.
 Finally, [[https://company-mode.github.io/][company: a modular complete-anything framework for Emacs]] provides
 completion in any buffer.
 
+** [[info:company#Top][Company (info)]]
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CUSTOM_ID: sec:company
+:END:
+
+[[info:company#Top][Company (info)]] is a modular completion framework and the the snippet [[lst:ensure-company-installation][below]]
+ensures its installation.
+
+#+caption[Ensure =company= installation]:
+#+caption: Ensure =company= installation.
+#+name: lst:ensure-company-installation
+#+begin_src emacs-lisp
+(ensure-package-installation 'company)
+#+end_src
+
 ** [[info:vertico#Top][Vertico (info)]]
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: sec:vertico-configuration
@@ -1306,7 +1317,8 @@ file.
        regexp-search-string
        search-ring
        search-string))))
-(when (fboundp 'vertico-mode)
+(when (and (ensure-package-installation 'vertico)
+           (fboundp 'vertico-mode))
   (vertico-mode +1))
 (with-eval-after-load 'vertico
   (define-key vertico-map (kbd "RET") #'vertico-directory-enter)
@@ -1736,6 +1748,21 @@ git -C ~/VCS/engrave-faces-fork branch -a
 :   remotes/origin/latex-engrave-symbolic-color-names
 :   remotes/origin/master
 
+*** [[info:magit#Top][Magit (info)]]
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CUSTOM_ID: sec:magit
+:END:
+
+[[info:magit#Top][Magit (info)]] is an Emacs interface to the version control system [[https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2][Git]] and the
+snippet [[lst:ensure-magit-installation][below]] ensures its installation.
+
+#+caption[Ensure =Magit= installation]:
+#+caption: Ensure =Magit= installation
+#+name: lst:ensure-magit-installation
+#+begin_src emacs-lisp
+(ensure-package-installation 'magit)
+#+end_src
+
 * Reading
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: sec:reading
@@ -2546,6 +2573,8 @@ this facility to a level acceptable for my workflow:
 #+caption: breakable LaTeX environments.
 #+name: lst:org-latex-engraved-source-block-filter
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp :results silent
+(ensure-package-installation 'engrave-faces)
+
 (defun org-latex-engraved-source-block-filter (data _backend _info)
   "Replace \"Code\" with \"Breakable\" in non-floating environments.
 
@@ -2626,8 +2655,7 @@ environments and non-floating breakable LaTeX environments by means of
 #+caption: Fix engraving of symbolic colors names in =engrave-faces-latex=.
 #+name: lst:ensure-engrave-faces-with-latex-face-apply-fix
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle no
-(when (and (ensure-package-installation 'engrave-faces)
-           (require 'engrave-faces-latex nil t))
+(when (require 'engrave-faces-latex nil t)
   (defun engrave-faces-latex--color (color)
     "Convert COLOR loosely to a string of six hexadecimal digits."
     (if (char-equal ?# (aref color 0))
@@ -2661,9 +2689,7 @@ environments and non-floating breakable LaTeX environments by means of
 #+caption: Fix engraving of symbolic colors names in =engrave-faces=.
 #+name: lst:ensure-engrave-faces-with-attribute-values-fix
 #+begin_src emacs-lisp
-(when (and (ensure-package-installation 'engrave-faces)
-           (require 'engrave-faces nil t))
-
+(when (require 'engrave-faces nil t)
   (defun engrave-faces-attribute-values-around (efav-fun &rest args)
     (let ((values (apply efav-fun args))
           (attribute (cadr args)))