[Distutils] abstract build system PEP update

[Marius Gedminas]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 12:12:41PM +1300, Robert Collins wrote:
> On 17 February 2016 at 20:13, Marius Gedminas <marius at gedmin.as> wrote:
> > On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 04:10:43PM +1300, Robert Collins wrote:
> >> diff --git a/build-system-abstraction.rst b/build-system-abstraction.rst
> >> index a6e4712..56464f1 100644
> >> --- a/build-system-abstraction.rst
> >> +++ b/build-system-abstraction.rst
> >> @@ -68,12 +68,15 @@ modelled on pip's existing use of the setuptools
> >> setup.py interface.
> >>  pypa.json
> >>  ---------
> >>
> >> -The file ``pypa.json`` acts as neutron configuration file for pip and other
> >> +The file ``pypa.json`` acts as neutral configuration file for pip and other
> >>  tools that want to build source trees to consult for configuration. The
> >>  absence of a ``pypa.json`` file in a Python source tree implies a setuptools
> >>  or setuptools compatible build system.
> >>
> >> -The JSON has the following schema. Extra keys are ignored.
> >> +The JSON has the following schema. Extra keys are ignored, which permits the
> >> +use of ``pypa.json`` as a configuration file for other related tools. If doing
> >> +that the chosen keys must be namespaced - e.g. ``flit`` with keys under that
> >> +rather than (say) ``build`` or other generic keys.
> >
> > Is this going to be a file that human beings are expected to edit by
> > hand?
> >
> > If so, can we please not use JSON?  JSON is rather hostile to humans: no
> > trailing commas, no possibility to add comments.
> 
> Find another format thats ideally in the standard library, with an as
> clean language-neutral schema. Yaml isn't. Toml isn't. $bikeshed.

ConfigParser seems to be the only other available choice then.

> Honestly - If this is the bit we bog down on, great - someone can
> spend the time finding a thing to use here, but as discussed
> previously, I don't care: the PEP editor that accepts the PEP can tell
> me what format should be there, and I'll put it there. Until then, I
> don't want to think about it because its not interesting.

If it's a blob of constant metadata that describes the build system,
maybe generated by the build system itself (by running some 'init-package'
command, say), then I don't care either.

If it's something that's going to be part of the user experience of
Python packages, then I've reservations.

Marius Gedminas
-- 
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.
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