After finding out about package-get-require-signed-base-updates by checking the lisp sources (are normal humans supposed to be able to do that?) I've eventually been able to update the list file, select the packages and download them, overriding efs which can't handle rh9's nslookup. Then every package downloaded gives an error: (1) (general/warning) Error in loading package file "/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada/auto-autoloads": Already loaded Backtrace follows: signal(error ("Already loaded")) # bind (args datum) cerror("Already loaded") apply(cerror "Already loaded" nil) # bind (args datum) error("Already loaded") byte-code("..." [featurep ada-autoloads error "Already loaded" package-provide ada :version 1.13 :type regular] 6) # bind (current-load-list) # (unwind-protect ...) # bind (load-file-name) # (unwind-protect ...) # (unwind-protect ...) # (unwind-protect ...) # (unwind-protect ...) # (unwind-protect ...) # (unwind-protect ...) (load-internal "[internal]") load-internal("/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada/auto-autoloads.elc" t t t binary) # bind (path handler filename nosuffix nomessage noerror file) efs-real-load("/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada/auto-autoloads.elc" t t t) # bind (after-load-alist after-load parsed filename nosuffix nomessage noerror file) load("/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada/auto-autoloads" t) #<compiled-function nil "...(7)" [pathname load t] 3>() # (unwind-protect ...) call-with-condition-handler(#<compiled-function (__call_trapping_errors_arg__) "...(20)" [pathname __call_trapping_errors_arg__ errstr error-message-string lwarn general warning "Error in %s: %s\n\nBacktrace follows:\n\n%s" format "loading package file \"%s\"" backtrace-in-condition-handler-eliminating-handler] 8> #<compiled-function nil "...(7)" [pathname load t] 3>) # (condition-case ... . ((error))) # bind (pathname file lispdir) package-get-load-package-file("/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada" "auto-autoloads") # bind (lispdir) package-get-init-package("/home/galibert/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ada") # bind (status full-package-filename filenames package-status base-filename search-dir found installed latest this-package) [....] Isn't that problem more than a year old already? Or I'm misremembering... OG.