/usr/share/doc/emacsen-common/debian-emacs-policy.gz section 9 asks lisp
add-ons to add directories with `debian-pkg-add-load-path-item' rather
than directly modifying `load-path' the way proof-site.el does.

I believe debian-pkg-add-load-path-item is available as of "sarge"
emacsen-common 1.4.14 of June 2002.  It aims to keep /usr/local ahead of
packaged lisp dirs so that anything in /usr/local has precedence.

Kevin Ryde writes:
   Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:17:38 +1000
   Subject: Bug#670339: proofgeneral: debian-pkg-add-load-path-item

Thanks for the report! Proof General changes load-path at various
places. I'll therefore first try to change the upstream version
such that all load-path additions are done by one function. This
bug will therefore stay open until the next upstream prerelease.

Bye,

Hendrik

block 670339 by 676424
thanks

Switching to debian-pkg-add-load-path-item breaks Proof General,
see #676424.

Hendrik

Hi,

the following points might be useful to know when you try to fix
your "debian-pkg-add-load-path-item" bug:

- the load-path management of emacs wrt to
  debian-pkg-add-load-path-item is broken, therefore items may
  end up before /usr/local items even though you use
  debian-pkg-add-load-path-item

- if you rely on some order in the load-path, then your package
  may break when you switch to debian-pkg-add-load-path-item

See #676424 for more details.

I wasted several hours, because I experienced both problems when
trying to solve my "debian-pkg-add-load-path-item" bug. At least
Kevin Ryde knows that debian-pkg-add-load-path-item may not work.
I don't understand why he files bug reports without including all
relevant information.

Bye,

Hendrik Tews

Hi,

the following points might be useful to know when you try to fix
your "debian-pkg-add-load-path-item" bug:

- the load-path management of emacs wrt to
  debian-pkg-add-load-path-item is broken, therefore items may
  end up before /usr/local items even though you use
  debian-pkg-add-load-path-item

- if you rely on some order in the load-path, then your package
  may break when you switch to debian-pkg-add-load-path-item

See #676424 for more details.

I wasted several hours, because I experienced both problems when
trying to solve my "debian-pkg-add-load-path-item" bug. At least
Kevin Ryde knows that debian-pkg-add-load-path-item may not work.
I don't understand why he files bug reports without including all
relevant information.

Bye,

Hendrik Tews