Proposal: require(<module>[, <version>]) + npm: put version in module install path

[blitmap]

Recently npm changed to install dependencies in a 'flatter' way.

https://docs.npmjs.com/how-npm-works/npm3

This is just my naive proposal but I'd like to suggest 2 things:

1. Add a 2nd parameter to require(<module>, <version>) for requesting a specific semantic version

• require('./module') would be equivalent to: require('./module', '*')
  • I've never used '' in package.json, does it take the latest version or the first it finds?

2. Install modules with their version in the path: node_modules/moment/1.4.8/index.js

Note: Modules sometimes change names, so you'd see node_modules/extendr/1.4.2 and then node_modules/extendible/1.4.3. A later version with a different module name would not go to the same node_modules/extendr.

I believe this would make it possible to install all dependencies in the first level of node_modules and allow loading modules like slots.

My reasoning is that if you need a specific version of something it should be reflected in your source code, not just package.json.

This would be making a change to require() which is 'Locked', but because it's an optional 2nd parameter I think it's acceptable to break. Previously I had thought require('./module', 'a', 'b', 'c') might pass those extra arguments to a module in arguments - but it seems not. Providing a version there would be a non-breaking change.

Side-concern: npm ls --depth=0 would show all dependencies - not just your 'primary' dependencies. Some scripts might rely on this.

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PS: I realize the 2 is npm-related, not node-related. I'm proposing this with the full text in both projects for completeness/coherency.

[cjihrig]

Thanks for opening this issue. However, would you mind moving it to https://github.com/nodejs/ng?

[blitmap]

My mistake - will do 👍