I don't know exactly when it broke, but it appears pui-list-packages is broken. On an 'xemacs' invocation without any user settings, the following occurs: Signaling: (wrong-type-argument stringp nil) expand-file-name(nil) package-get-update-base(nil t) package-get-require-base(t) #<compiled-function nil "...(152)" [package-get-require-base t get-buffer-create pui-info-buffer "===============================================================================\n" nil start sep-string outbuf message "Creating package list ..." sit-for 0 buffer-read-only buffer-disable-undo erase-buffer kill-all-local-variables use-local-map pui-display-keymap list-packages-mode major-mode "Packages" mode-name truncate-lines package-get-remote "\nWarning: No download sites specified. Package index may be out of date.\n If you intend to install packages, specify download sites first.\n\n" pui-list-verbose " Latest Installed\n Package name Vers. Vers. Description\n" " Latest\n Package name Vers. Description\n" mapcar #<compiled-function ... "...(217)" ... 10> sort copy-sequence package-get-base #<compiled-function ... "...(10)" ... 3> documentation set-buffer-modified-p pop-to-buffer delete-other-windows pui-selected-packages pui-deleted-packages featurep menubar set-buffer-menubar current-menubar add-submenu pui-menu mode-popup-menu clear-message] 5 ("/usr/local/src/xemacs/current/lisp/package-ui.elc" . 13418) nil>() call-interactively(pui-list-packages) command-execute(pui-list-packages t) execute-extended-command(nil) call-interactively(execute-extended-command) Now if I set package-get-remote so it knows where to find packages: (setq package-get-remote '(("ftp.xemacs.org" "/pub/xemacs/packages"))) And try again, it still doesn't work: Signaling: (file-error "Opening input file" "No such file or directory" "/anonymous＠ftp.xemacs.org:/pub/xemacs/packages/package-index.LATEST.pgp") insert-file-contents-internal("/anonymous＠ftp.xemacs.org:/pub/xemacs/packages/package-index.LATEST.pgp" nil nil nil nil nil nil) insert-file-contents("/anonymous＠ftp.xemacs.org:/pub/xemacs/packages/package-index.LATEST.pgp" nil nil nil nil) insert-file-contents-literally("/anonymous＠ftp.xemacs.org:/pub/xemacs/packages/package-index.LATEST.pgp") package-get-update-base(nil t) package-get-require-base(t) #<compiled-function nil "...(152)" [package-get-require-base t get-buffer-create pui-info-buffer "===============================================================================\n" nil start sep-string outbuf message "Creating package list ..." sit-for 0 buffer-read-only buffer-disable-undo erase-buffer kill-all-local-variables use-local-map pui-display-keymap list-packages-mode major-mode "Packages" mode-name truncate-lines package-get-remote "\nWarning: No download sites specified. Package index may be out of date.\n If you intend to install packages, specify download sites first.\n\n" pui-list-verbose " Latest Installed\n Package name Vers. Vers. Description\n" " Latest\n Package name Vers. Description\n" mapcar #<compiled-function ... "...(217)" ... 10> sort copy-sequence package-get-base #<compiled-function ... "...(10)" ... 3> documentation set-buffer-modified-p pop-to-buffer delete-other-windows pui-selected-packages pui-deleted-packages featurep menubar set-buffer-menubar current-menubar add-submenu pui-menu mode-popup-menu clear-message] 5 ("/usr/local/src/xemacs/current/lisp/package-ui.elc" . 13418) nil>() call-interactively(pui-list-packages) command-execute(pui-list-packages t) execute-extended-command(nil) call-interactively(execute-extended-command) The following packages are installed: Sun :version 1.12 ada :version 1.08 apel :version 1.18 auctex :version 1.20 bbdb :version 1.09 c-support :version 1.14 calc :version 1.12 calendar :version 1.14 cc-mode :version 1.20 cookie :version 1.12 crisp :version 1.11 debug :version 1.11 dired :version 1.07 edebug :version 1.10 ediff :version 1.26 edit-utils :version 1.51 edt :version 1.09 efs :version 1.20 eicq :version 1.01 elib :version 1.06 emerge :version 1.07 eterm :version 1.11 eudc :version 1.31 footnote :version 1.12 forms :version 1.12 frame-icon :version 1.08 fsf-compat :version 1.07 games :version 1.12 gnats :version 1.10 gnus :version 1.50 hm--html-menus :version 1.14 igrep :version 1.07 ilisp :version 1.12 ispell :version 1.19 jde :version 1.22 mail-lib :version 1.30 mailcrypt :version 2.04 mew :version 1.10 mh-e :version 1.12 mine :version 1.12 misc-games :version 1.13 net-utils :version 1.13 os-utils :version 1.22 pc :version 1.17 pcl-cvs :version 1.47 prog-modes :version 1.29 ps-print-nomule :version 1.03 psgml :version 1.19 reftex :version 1.20 rmail :version 1.11 scheme :version 1.10 sgml :version 1.06 sh-script :version 1.12 slider :version 1.11 sounds-au :version 1.09 sounds-wav :version 1.09 speedbar :version 1.16 strokes :version 1.06 supercite :version 1.15 texinfo :version 1.19 text-modes :version 1.25 textools :version 1.10 time :version 1.09 tm :version 1.23 tooltalk :version 1.11 tpu :version 1.10 vc :version 1.23 vhdl :version 1.10 view-process :version 1.09 viper :version 1.21 vm :version 1.24 w3 :version 1.15 xemacs-base :version 1.43 xemacs-devel :version 1.28 zenirc :version 1.07