That's true in terms of many Linux systems being locked down to normal users (no installing in /usr or even /usr/local). But emacs extensions install in your home directory. I've never heard of a system where users couldn't write to their own home directories.
> I've never heard of a system where users couldn't write to their own home directories.
Neither have I, but I have heard of (and been subject to) policies that don't allow installing unapproved 3rd party executable code, and have not seen one that made exceptions based on path.
Mine was neither, just a contract gig at a crappy company.
There were no technical measures in place to stop me from compiling my own binaries (that was in part what I was there to do), and bringing my own elisp also would have worked.
Except for the "breaking my contract" part, if it was unapproved 3rd party code. Given that actual FTEs respected the rule, it seemed unwise to test it.
