[Python-checkins] GH-92584: Remove Installing Python Modules (Distutils version) (#108020)

vstinner webhook-mailer at python.org
Wed Aug 16 17:07:00 EDT 2023


https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/fbb7cbc0e92168077fd56de942901511e99ca60a
commit: fbb7cbc0e92168077fd56de942901511e99ca60a
branch: main
author: Adam Turner <9087854+AA-Turner at users.noreply.github.com>
committer: vstinner <vstinner at python.org>
date: 2023-08-16T21:06:56Z
summary:

GH-92584: Remove Installing Python Modules (Distutils version) (#108020)

files:
D Doc/install/index.rst
M Doc/contents.rst
M Doc/extending/building.rst
M Doc/library/site.rst
M Doc/using/cmdline.rst

diff --git a/Doc/contents.rst b/Doc/contents.rst
index 464f93bdf85f9..649a1344a0b26 100644
--- a/Doc/contents.rst
+++ b/Doc/contents.rst
@@ -21,10 +21,3 @@
    bugs.rst
    copyright.rst
    license.rst
-
-.. to include legacy packaging docs in build
-
-.. toctree::
-   :hidden:
-
-   install/index.rst
diff --git a/Doc/extending/building.rst b/Doc/extending/building.rst
index 880bb33ee5671..ddde567f6f3ef 100644
--- a/Doc/extending/building.rst
+++ b/Doc/extending/building.rst
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ See the *"Multiple modules in one library"* section in :pep:`489` for details.
 
 .. highlight:: c
 
+.. _install-index:
 .. _setuptools-index:
 
 Building C and C++ Extensions with setuptools
diff --git a/Doc/install/index.rst b/Doc/install/index.rst
deleted file mode 100644
index ffb4a202fe89f..0000000000000
--- a/Doc/install/index.rst
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,1081 +0,0 @@
-.. highlight:: none
-
-.. _install-index:
-
-********************************************
-  Installing Python Modules (Legacy version)
-********************************************
-
-:Author: Greg Ward
-
-.. TODO: Fill in XXX comments
-
-.. note::
-
-   The entire ``distutils`` package has been deprecated and will be
-   removed in Python 3.12. This documentation is retained as a
-   reference only, and will be removed with the package. See the
-   :ref:`What's New <distutils-deprecated>` entry for more information.
-
-.. seealso::
-
-   :ref:`installing-index`
-      The up to date module installation documentation. For regular Python
-      usage, you almost certainly want that document rather than this one.
-
-.. note::
-
-   This document is being retained solely until the ``setuptools`` documentation
-   at https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/setuptools.html
-   independently covers all of the relevant information currently included here.
-
-.. note::
-
-   This guide only covers the basic tools for building and distributing
-   extensions that are provided as part of this version of Python. Third party
-   tools offer easier to use and more secure alternatives. Refer to the `quick
-   recommendations section <https://packaging.python.org/guides/tool-recommendations/>`__
-   in the Python Packaging User Guide for more information.
-
-
-.. _inst-intro:
-
-
-Introduction
-============
-
-In Python 2.0, the ``distutils`` API was first added to the standard library.
-This provided Linux distro maintainers with a standard way of converting
-Python projects into Linux distro packages, and system administrators with a
-standard way of installing them directly onto target systems.
-
-In the many years since Python 2.0 was released, tightly coupling the build
-system and package installer to the language runtime release cycle has turned
-out to be problematic, and it is now recommended that projects use the
-``pip`` package installer and the ``setuptools`` build system, rather than
-using ``distutils`` directly.
-
-See :ref:`installing-index` and :ref:`distributing-index` for more details.
-
-This legacy documentation is being retained only until we're confident that the
-``setuptools`` documentation covers everything needed.
-
-.. _inst-new-standard:
-
-Distutils based source distributions
-------------------------------------
-
-If you download a module source distribution, you can tell pretty quickly if it
-was packaged and distributed in the standard way, i.e. using the Distutils.
-First, the distribution's name and version number will be featured prominently
-in the name of the downloaded archive, e.g. :file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` or
-:file:`widget-0.9.7.zip`.  Next, the archive will unpack into a similarly named
-directory: :file:`foo-1.0` or :file:`widget-0.9.7`.  Additionally, the
-distribution will contain a setup script :file:`setup.py`, and a file named
-:file:`README.txt` or possibly just :file:`README`, which should explain that
-building and installing the module distribution is a simple matter of running
-one command from a terminal::
-
-   python setup.py install
-
-For Windows, this command should be run from a command prompt window
-(:menuselection:`Start --> Accessories`)::
-
-   setup.py install
-
-If all these things are true, then you already know how to build and install the
-modules you've just downloaded:  Run the command above. Unless you need to
-install things in a non-standard way or customize the build process, you don't
-really need this manual.  Or rather, the above command is everything you need to
-get out of this manual.
-
-
-.. _inst-standard-install:
-
-Standard Build and Install
-==========================
-
-As described in section :ref:`inst-new-standard`, building and installing a module
-distribution using the Distutils is usually one simple command to run from a
-terminal::
-
-   python setup.py install
-
-
-.. _inst-platform-variations:
-
-Platform variations
--------------------
-
-You should always run the setup command from the distribution root directory,
-i.e. the top-level subdirectory that the module source distribution unpacks
-into.  For example, if you've just downloaded a module source distribution
-:file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` onto a Unix system, the normal thing to do is::
-
-   gunzip -c foo-1.0.tar.gz | tar xf -    # unpacks into directory foo-1.0
-   cd foo-1.0
-   python setup.py install
-
-On Windows, you'd probably download :file:`foo-1.0.zip`.  If you downloaded the
-archive file to :file:`C:\\Temp`, then it would unpack into
-:file:`C:\\Temp\\foo-1.0`; you can use either an archive manipulator with a
-graphical user interface (such as WinZip) or a command-line tool (such as
-:program:`unzip` or :program:`pkunzip`) to unpack the archive.  Then, open a
-command prompt window and run::
-
-   cd c:\Temp\foo-1.0
-   python setup.py install
-
-
-.. _inst-splitting-up:
-
-Splitting the job up
---------------------
-
-Running ``setup.py install`` builds and installs all modules in one run.  If you
-prefer to work incrementally---especially useful if you want to customize the
-build process, or if things are going wrong---you can use the setup script to do
-one thing at a time.  This is particularly helpful when the build and install
-will be done by different users---for example, you might want to build a module
-distribution and hand it off to a system administrator for installation (or do
-it yourself, with super-user privileges).
-
-For example, you can build everything in one step, and then install everything
-in a second step, by invoking the setup script twice::
-
-   python setup.py build
-   python setup.py install
-
-If you do this, you will notice that running the :command:`install` command
-first runs the :command:`build` command, which---in this case---quickly notices
-that it has nothing to do, since everything in the :file:`build` directory is
-up-to-date.
-
-You may not need this ability to break things down often if all you do is
-install modules downloaded off the 'net, but it's very handy for more advanced
-tasks.  If you get into distributing your own Python modules and extensions,
-you'll run lots of individual Distutils commands on their own.
-
-
-.. _inst-how-build-works:
-
-How building works
-------------------
-
-As implied above, the :command:`build` command is responsible for putting the
-files to install into a *build directory*.  By default, this is :file:`build`
-under the distribution root; if you're excessively concerned with speed, or want
-to keep the source tree pristine, you can change the build directory with the
-:option:`!--build-base` option. For example::
-
-   python setup.py build --build-base=/path/to/pybuild/foo-1.0
-
-(Or you could do this permanently with a directive in your system or personal
-Distutils configuration file; see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)  Normally, this
-isn't necessary.
-
-The default layout for the build tree is as follows::
-
-   --- build/ --- lib/
-   or
-   --- build/ --- lib.<plat>/
-                  temp.<plat>/
-
-where ``<plat>`` expands to a brief description of the current OS/hardware
-platform and Python version.  The first form, with just a :file:`lib` directory,
-is used for "pure module distributions"---that is, module distributions that
-include only pure Python modules.  If a module distribution contains any
-extensions (modules written in C/C++), then the second form, with two ``<plat>``
-directories, is used.  In that case, the :file:`temp.{plat}` directory holds
-temporary files generated by the compile/link process that don't actually get
-installed.  In either case, the :file:`lib` (or :file:`lib.{plat}`) directory
-contains all Python modules (pure Python and extensions) that will be installed.
-
-In the future, more directories will be added to handle Python scripts,
-documentation, binary executables, and whatever else is needed to handle the job
-of installing Python modules and applications.
-
-
-.. _inst-how-install-works:
-
-How installation works
-----------------------
-
-After the :command:`build` command runs (whether you run it explicitly, or the
-:command:`install` command does it for you), the work of the :command:`install`
-command is relatively simple: all it has to do is copy everything under
-:file:`build/lib` (or :file:`build/lib.{plat}`) to your chosen installation
-directory.
-
-If you don't choose an installation directory---i.e., if you just run ``setup.py
-install``\ ---then the :command:`install` command installs to the standard
-location for third-party Python modules.  This location varies by platform and
-by how you built/installed Python itself.  On Unix (and macOS, which is also
-Unix-based), it also depends on whether the module distribution being installed
-is pure Python or contains extensions ("non-pure"):
-
-.. tabularcolumns:: |l|l|l|l|
-
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Platform        | Standard installation location                      | Default value                                    | Notes |
-+=================+=====================================================+==================================================+=======+
-| Unix (pure)     | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages`      | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1)  |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Unix (non-pure) | :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1)  |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Windows         | :file:`{prefix}\\Lib\\site-packages`                | :file:`C:\\Python{XY}\\Lib\\site-packages`       | \(2)  |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-
-Notes:
-
-(1)
-   Most Linux distributions include Python as a standard part of the system, so
-   :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are usually both :file:`/usr` on
-   Linux.  If you build Python yourself on Linux (or any Unix-like system), the
-   default :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are :file:`/usr/local`.
-
-(2)
-   The default installation directory on Windows was :file:`C:\\Program
-   Files\\Python` under Python 1.6a1, 1.5.2, and earlier.
-
-:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` stand for the directories that Python
-is installed to, and where it finds its libraries at run-time.  They are always
-the same under Windows, and very often the same under Unix and macOS.  You
-can find out what your Python installation uses for :file:`{prefix}` and
-:file:`{exec-prefix}` by running Python in interactive mode and typing a few
-simple commands. Under Unix, just type ``python`` at the shell prompt.  Under
-Windows, choose :menuselection:`Start --> Programs --> Python X.Y -->
-Python (command line)`.   Once the interpreter is started, you type Python code
-at the prompt.  For example, on my Linux system, I type the three Python
-statements shown below, and get the output as shown, to find out my
-:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}`:
-
-.. code-block:: pycon
-
-   Python 2.4 (#26, Aug  7 2004, 17:19:02)
-   Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
-   >>> import sys
-   >>> sys.prefix
-   '/usr'
-   >>> sys.exec_prefix
-   '/usr'
-
-A few other placeholders are used in this document: :file:`{X.Y}` stands for the
-version of Python, for example ``3.2``; :file:`{abiflags}` will be replaced by
-the value of :data:`sys.abiflags` or the empty string for platforms which don't
-define ABI flags; :file:`{distname}` will be replaced by the name of the module
-distribution being installed.  Dots and capitalization are important in the
-paths; for example, a value that uses ``python3.2`` on UNIX will typically use
-``Python32`` on Windows.
-
-If you don't want to install modules to the standard location, or if you don't
-have permission to write there, then you need to read about alternate
-installations in section :ref:`inst-alt-install`.  If you want to customize your
-installation directories more heavily, see section :ref:`inst-custom-install` on
-custom installations.
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install:
-
-Alternate Installation
-======================
-
-Often, it is necessary or desirable to install modules to a location other than
-the standard location for third-party Python modules.  For example, on a Unix
-system you might not have permission to write to the standard third-party module
-directory.  Or you might wish to try out a module before making it a standard
-part of your local Python installation.  This is especially true when upgrading
-a distribution already present: you want to make sure your existing base of
-scripts still works with the new version before actually upgrading.
-
-The Distutils :command:`install` command is designed to make installing module
-distributions to an alternate location simple and painless.  The basic idea is
-that you supply a base directory for the installation, and the
-:command:`install` command picks a set of directories (called an *installation
-scheme*) under this base directory in which to install files.  The details
-differ across platforms, so read whichever of the following sections applies to
-you.
-
-Note that the various alternate installation schemes are mutually exclusive: you
-can pass ``--user``, or ``--home``, or ``--prefix`` and ``--exec-prefix``, or
-``--install-base`` and ``--install-platbase``, but you can't mix from these
-groups.
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-user:
-
-Alternate installation: the user scheme
----------------------------------------
-
-This scheme is designed to be the most convenient solution for users that don't
-have write permission to the global site-packages directory or don't want to
-install into it.  It is enabled with a simple option::
-
-   python setup.py install --user
-
-Files will be installed into subdirectories of :const:`site.USER_BASE` (written
-as :file:`{userbase}` hereafter).  This scheme installs pure Python modules and
-extension modules in the same location (also known as :const:`site.USER_SITE`).
-Here are the values for UNIX, including macOS:
-
-=============== ===========================================================
-Type of file    Installation directory
-=============== ===========================================================
-modules         :file:`{userbase}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages`
-scripts         :file:`{userbase}/bin`
-data            :file:`{userbase}`
-C headers       :file:`{userbase}/include/python{X.Y}{abiflags}/{distname}`
-=============== ===========================================================
-
-And here are the values used on Windows:
-
-=============== ===========================================================
-Type of file    Installation directory
-=============== ===========================================================
-modules         :file:`{userbase}\\Python{XY}\\site-packages`
-scripts         :file:`{userbase}\\Python{XY}\\Scripts`
-data            :file:`{userbase}`
-C headers       :file:`{userbase}\\Python{XY}\\Include\\{distname}`
-=============== ===========================================================
-
-The advantage of using this scheme compared to the other ones described below is
-that the user site-packages directory is under normal conditions always included
-in :data:`sys.path` (see :mod:`site` for more information), which means that
-there is no additional step to perform after running the :file:`setup.py` script
-to finalize the installation.
-
-The :command:`build_ext` command also has a ``--user`` option to add
-:file:`{userbase}/include` to the compiler search path for header files and
-:file:`{userbase}/lib` to the compiler search path for libraries as well as to
-the runtime search path for shared C libraries (rpath).
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-home:
-
-Alternate installation: the home scheme
----------------------------------------
-
-The idea behind the "home scheme" is that you build and maintain a personal
-stash of Python modules.  This scheme's name is derived from the idea of a
-"home" directory on Unix, since it's not unusual for a Unix user to make their
-home directory have a layout similar to :file:`/usr/` or :file:`/usr/local/`.
-This scheme can be used by anyone, regardless of the operating system they
-are installing for.
-
-Installing a new module distribution is as simple as ::
-
-   python setup.py install --home=<dir>
-
-where you can supply any directory you like for the :option:`!--home` option.  On
-Unix, lazy typists can just type a tilde (``~``); the :command:`install` command
-will expand this to your home directory::
-
-   python setup.py install --home=~
-
-To make Python find the distributions installed with this scheme, you may have
-to :ref:`modify Python's search path <inst-search-path>` or edit
-:mod:`!sitecustomize` (see :mod:`site`) to call :func:`site.addsitedir` or edit
-:data:`sys.path`.
-
-The :option:`!--home` option defines the installation base directory.  Files are
-installed to the following directories under the installation base as follows:
-
-=============== ===========================================================
-Type of file    Installation directory
-=============== ===========================================================
-modules         :file:`{home}/lib/python`
-scripts         :file:`{home}/bin`
-data            :file:`{home}`
-C headers       :file:`{home}/include/python/{distname}`
-=============== ===========================================================
-
-(Mentally replace slashes with backslashes if you're on Windows.)
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-prefix-unix:
-
-Alternate installation: Unix (the prefix scheme)
-------------------------------------------------
-
-The "prefix scheme" is useful when you wish to use one Python installation to
-perform the build/install (i.e., to run the setup script), but install modules
-into the third-party module directory of a different Python installation (or
-something that looks like a different Python installation).  If this sounds a
-trifle unusual, it is---that's why the user and home schemes come before.  However,
-there are at least two known cases where the prefix scheme will be useful.
-
-First, consider that many Linux distributions put Python in :file:`/usr`, rather
-than the more traditional :file:`/usr/local`.  This is entirely appropriate,
-since in those cases Python is part of "the system" rather than a local add-on.
-However, if you are installing Python modules from source, you probably want
-them to go in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}` rather than
-:file:`/usr/lib/python2.{X}`.  This can be done with ::
-
-   /usr/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/usr/local
-
-Another possibility is a network filesystem where the name used to write to a
-remote directory is different from the name used to read it: for example, the
-Python interpreter accessed as :file:`/usr/local/bin/python` might search for
-modules in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}`, but those modules would have to
-be installed to, say, :file:`/mnt/{@server}/export/lib/python2.{X}`.  This could
-be done with ::
-
-   /usr/local/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/mnt/@server/export
-
-In either case, the :option:`!--prefix` option defines the installation base, and
-the :option:`!--exec-prefix` option defines the platform-specific installation
-base, which is used for platform-specific files.  (Currently, this just means
-non-pure module distributions, but could be expanded to C libraries, binary
-executables, etc.)  If :option:`!--exec-prefix` is not supplied, it defaults to
-:option:`!--prefix`.  Files are installed as follows:
-
-================= ==========================================================
-Type of file      Installation directory
-================= ==========================================================
-Python modules    :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages`
-extension modules :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages`
-scripts           :file:`{prefix}/bin`
-data              :file:`{prefix}`
-C headers         :file:`{prefix}/include/python{X.Y}{abiflags}/{distname}`
-================= ==========================================================
-
-There is no requirement that :option:`!--prefix` or :option:`!--exec-prefix`
-actually point to an alternate Python installation; if the directories listed
-above do not already exist, they are created at installation time.
-
-Incidentally, the real reason the prefix scheme is important is simply that a
-standard Unix installation uses the prefix scheme, but with :option:`!--prefix`
-and :option:`!--exec-prefix` supplied by Python itself as ``sys.prefix`` and
-``sys.exec_prefix``.  Thus, you might think you'll never use the prefix scheme,
-but every time you run ``python setup.py install`` without any other options,
-you're using it.
-
-Note that installing extensions to an alternate Python installation has no
-effect on how those extensions are built: in particular, the Python header files
-(:file:`Python.h` and friends) installed with the Python interpreter used to run
-the setup script will be used in compiling extensions.  It is your
-responsibility to ensure that the interpreter used to run extensions installed
-in this way is compatible with the interpreter used to build them.  The best way
-to do this is to ensure that the two interpreters are the same version of Python
-(possibly different builds, or possibly copies of the same build).  (Of course,
-if your :option:`!--prefix` and :option:`!--exec-prefix` don't even point to an
-alternate Python installation, this is immaterial.)
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-prefix-windows:
-
-Alternate installation: Windows (the prefix scheme)
----------------------------------------------------
-
-Windows has no concept of a user's home directory, and since the standard Python
-installation under Windows is simpler than under Unix, the :option:`!--prefix`
-option has traditionally been used to install additional packages in separate
-locations on Windows. ::
-
-   python setup.py install --prefix="\Temp\Python"
-
-to install modules to the :file:`\\Temp\\Python` directory on the current drive.
-
-The installation base is defined by the :option:`!--prefix` option; the
-:option:`!--exec-prefix` option is not supported under Windows, which means that
-pure Python modules and extension modules are installed into the same location.
-Files are installed as follows:
-
-=============== ==========================================================
-Type of file    Installation directory
-=============== ==========================================================
-modules         :file:`{prefix}\\Lib\\site-packages`
-scripts         :file:`{prefix}\\Scripts`
-data            :file:`{prefix}`
-C headers       :file:`{prefix}\\Include\\{distname}`
-=============== ==========================================================
-
-
-.. _inst-custom-install:
-
-Custom Installation
-===================
-
-Sometimes, the alternate installation schemes described in section
-:ref:`inst-alt-install` just don't do what you want.  You might want to tweak just
-one or two directories while keeping everything under the same base directory,
-or you might want to completely redefine the installation scheme.  In either
-case, you're creating a *custom installation scheme*.
-
-To create a custom installation scheme, you start with one of the alternate
-schemes and override some of the installation directories used for the various
-types of files, using these options:
-
-====================== =======================
-Type of file           Override option
-====================== =======================
-Python modules         ``--install-purelib``
-extension modules      ``--install-platlib``
-all modules            ``--install-lib``
-scripts                ``--install-scripts``
-data                   ``--install-data``
-C headers              ``--install-headers``
-====================== =======================
-
-These override options can be relative, absolute,
-or explicitly defined in terms of one of the installation base directories.
-(There are two installation base directories, and they are normally the
-same---they only differ when you use the Unix "prefix scheme" and supply
-different ``--prefix`` and ``--exec-prefix`` options; using ``--install-lib``
-will override values computed or given for ``--install-purelib`` and
-``--install-platlib``, and is recommended for schemes that don't make a
-difference between Python and extension modules.)
-
-For example, say you're installing a module distribution to your home directory
-under Unix---but you want scripts to go in :file:`~/scripts` rather than
-:file:`~/bin`. As you might expect, you can override this directory with the
-:option:`!--install-scripts` option; in this case, it makes most sense to supply
-a relative path, which will be interpreted relative to the installation base
-directory (your home directory, in this case)::
-
-   python setup.py install --home=~ --install-scripts=scripts
-
-Another Unix example: suppose your Python installation was built and installed
-with a prefix of :file:`/usr/local/python`, so under a standard  installation
-scripts will wind up in :file:`/usr/local/python/bin`.  If you want them in
-:file:`/usr/local/bin` instead, you would supply this absolute directory for the
-:option:`!--install-scripts` option::
-
-   python setup.py install --install-scripts=/usr/local/bin
-
-(This performs an installation using the "prefix scheme", where the prefix is
-whatever your Python interpreter was installed with--- :file:`/usr/local/python`
-in this case.)
-
-If you maintain Python on Windows, you might want third-party modules to live in
-a subdirectory of :file:`{prefix}`, rather than right in :file:`{prefix}`
-itself.  This is almost as easy as customizing the script installation
-directory---you just have to remember that there are two types of modules
-to worry about, Python and extension modules, which can conveniently be both
-controlled by one option::
-
-   python setup.py install --install-lib=Site
-
-The specified installation directory is relative to :file:`{prefix}`.  Of
-course, you also have to ensure that this directory is in Python's module
-search path, such as by putting a :file:`.pth` file in a site directory (see
-:mod:`site`).  See section :ref:`inst-search-path` to find out how to modify
-Python's search path.
-
-If you want to define an entire installation scheme, you just have to supply all
-of the installation directory options.  The recommended way to do this is to
-supply relative paths; for example, if you want to maintain all Python
-module-related files under :file:`python` in your home directory, and you want a
-separate directory for each platform that you use your home directory from, you
-might define the following installation scheme::
-
-   python setup.py install --home=~ \
-                           --install-purelib=python/lib \
-                           --install-platlib=python/lib.$PLAT \
-                           --install-scripts=python/scripts
-                           --install-data=python/data
-
-or, equivalently, ::
-
-   python setup.py install --home=~/python \
-                           --install-purelib=lib \
-                           --install-platlib='lib.$PLAT' \
-                           --install-scripts=scripts
-                           --install-data=data
-
-``$PLAT`` is not (necessarily) an environment variable---it will be expanded by
-the Distutils as it parses your command line options, just as it does when
-parsing your configuration file(s).
-
-Obviously, specifying the entire installation scheme every time you install a
-new module distribution would be very tedious.  Thus, you can put these options
-into your Distutils config file (see section :ref:`inst-config-files`):
-
-.. code-block:: ini
-
-   [install]
-   install-base=$HOME
-   install-purelib=python/lib
-   install-platlib=python/lib.$PLAT
-   install-scripts=python/scripts
-   install-data=python/data
-
-or, equivalently,
-
-.. code-block:: ini
-
-   [install]
-   install-base=$HOME/python
-   install-purelib=lib
-   install-platlib=lib.$PLAT
-   install-scripts=scripts
-   install-data=data
-
-Note that these two are *not* equivalent if you supply a different installation
-base directory when you run the setup script.  For example, ::
-
-   python setup.py install --install-base=/tmp
-
-would install pure modules to :file:`/tmp/python/lib` in the first case, and
-to :file:`/tmp/lib` in the second case.  (For the second case, you probably
-want to supply an installation base of :file:`/tmp/python`.)
-
-You probably noticed the use of ``$HOME`` and ``$PLAT`` in the sample
-configuration file input.  These are Distutils configuration variables, which
-bear a strong resemblance to environment variables. In fact, you can use
-environment variables in config files on platforms that have such a notion but
-the Distutils additionally define a few extra variables that may not be in your
-environment, such as ``$PLAT``.  (And of course, on systems that don't have
-environment variables, such as Mac OS 9, the configuration variables supplied by
-the Distutils are the only ones you can use.) See section :ref:`inst-config-files`
-for details.
-
-.. note:: When a :ref:`virtual environment <venv-def>` is activated, any options
-   that change the installation path will be ignored from all distutils configuration
-   files to prevent inadvertently installing projects outside of the virtual
-   environment.
-
-.. XXX need some Windows examples---when would custom installation schemes be
-   needed on those platforms?
-
-
-.. XXX Move this to Doc/using
-
-.. _inst-search-path:
-
-Modifying Python's Search Path
-------------------------------
-
-When the Python interpreter executes an :keyword:`import` statement, it searches
-for both Python code and extension modules along a search path.  A default value
-for the path is configured into the Python binary when the interpreter is built.
-You can determine the path by importing the :mod:`sys` module and printing the
-value of ``sys.path``.   ::
-
-   $ python
-   Python 2.2 (#11, Oct  3 2002, 13:31:27)
-   [GCC 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.96-112)] on linux2
-   Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
-   >>> import sys
-   >>> sys.path
-   ['', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/plat-linux2',
-    '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/lib-tk', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/lib-dynload',
-    '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/site-packages']
-   >>>
-
-The null string in ``sys.path`` represents the current working directory.
-
-The expected convention for locally installed packages is to put them in the
-:file:`{...}/site-packages/` directory, but you may want to install Python
-modules into some arbitrary directory.  For example, your site may have a
-convention of keeping all software related to the web server under :file:`/www`.
-Add-on Python modules might then belong in :file:`/www/python`, and in order to
-import them, this directory must be added to ``sys.path``.  There are several
-different ways to add the directory.
-
-The most convenient way is to add a path configuration file to a directory
-that's already on Python's path, usually to the :file:`.../site-packages/`
-directory.  Path configuration files have an extension of :file:`.pth`, and each
-line must contain a single path that will be appended to ``sys.path``.  (Because
-the new paths are appended to ``sys.path``, modules in the added directories
-will not override standard modules.  This means you can't use this mechanism for
-installing fixed versions of standard modules.)
-
-Paths can be absolute or relative, in which case they're relative to the
-directory containing the :file:`.pth` file.  See the documentation of
-the :mod:`site` module for more information.
-
-A slightly less convenient way is to edit the :file:`site.py` file in Python's
-standard library, and modify ``sys.path``.  :file:`site.py` is automatically
-imported when the Python interpreter is executed, unless the :option:`-S` switch
-is supplied to suppress this behaviour.  So you could simply edit
-:file:`site.py` and add two lines to it:
-
-.. code-block:: python
-
-   import sys
-   sys.path.append('/www/python/')
-
-However, if you reinstall the same minor version of Python (perhaps when
-upgrading from 2.2 to 2.2.2, for example) :file:`site.py` will be overwritten by
-the stock version.  You'd have to remember that it was modified and save a copy
-before doing the installation.
-
-There are two environment variables that can modify ``sys.path``.
-:envvar:`PYTHONHOME` sets an alternate value for the prefix of the Python
-installation.  For example, if :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` is set to ``/www/python``,
-the search path will be set to ``['', '/www/python/lib/pythonX.Y/',
-'/www/python/lib/pythonX.Y/plat-linux2', ...]``.
-
-The :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` variable can be set to a list of paths that will be
-added to the beginning of ``sys.path``.  For example, if :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` is
-set to ``/www/python:/opt/py``, the search path will begin with
-``['/www/python', '/opt/py']``.  (Note that directories must exist in order to
-be added to ``sys.path``; the :mod:`site` module removes paths that don't
-exist.)
-
-Finally, ``sys.path`` is just a regular Python list, so any Python application
-can modify it by adding or removing entries.
-
-
-.. _inst-config-files:
-
-Distutils Configuration Files
-=============================
-
-As mentioned above, you can use Distutils configuration files to record personal
-or site preferences for any Distutils options.  That is, any option to any
-command can be stored in one of two or three (depending on your platform)
-configuration files, which will be consulted before the command-line is parsed.
-This means that configuration files will override default values, and the
-command-line will in turn override configuration files.  Furthermore, if
-multiple configuration files apply, values from "earlier" files are overridden
-by "later" files.
-
-
-.. _inst-config-filenames:
-
-Location and names of config files
-----------------------------------
-
-The names and locations of the configuration files vary slightly across
-platforms.  On Unix and macOS, the three configuration files (in the order
-they are processed) are:
-
-+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Type of file | Location and filename                                    | Notes |
-+==============+==========================================================+=======+
-| system       | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{ver}/distutils/distutils.cfg` | \(1)  |
-+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| personal     | :file:`$HOME/.pydistutils.cfg`                           | \(2)  |
-+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| local        | :file:`setup.cfg`                                        | \(3)  |
-+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
-
-And on Windows, the configuration files are:
-
-+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Type of file | Location and filename                           | Notes |
-+==============+=================================================+=======+
-| system       | :file:`{prefix}\\Lib\\distutils\\distutils.cfg` | \(4)  |
-+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| personal     | :file:`%HOME%\\pydistutils.cfg`                 | \(5)  |
-+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| local        | :file:`setup.cfg`                               | \(3)  |
-+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
-
-On all platforms, the "personal" file can be temporarily disabled by
-passing the ``--no-user-cfg`` option.
-
-Notes:
-
-(1)
-   Strictly speaking, the system-wide configuration file lives in the directory
-   where the Distutils are installed; under Python 1.6 and later on Unix, this is
-   as shown. For Python 1.5.2, the Distutils will normally be installed to
-   :file:`{prefix}/lib/python1.5/site-packages/distutils`, so the system
-   configuration file should be put there under Python 1.5.2.
-
-(2)
-   On Unix, if the :envvar:`HOME` environment variable is not defined, the user's
-   home directory will be determined with the :func:`~pwd.getpwuid` function from the
-   standard :mod:`pwd` module. This is done by the :func:`os.path.expanduser`
-   function used by Distutils.
-
-(3)
-   I.e., in the current directory (usually the location of the setup script).
-
-(4)
-   (See also note (1).)  Under Python 1.6 and later, Python's default "installation
-   prefix" is :file:`C:\\Python`, so the system configuration file is normally
-   :file:`C:\\Python\\Lib\\distutils\\distutils.cfg`. Under Python 1.5.2, the
-   default prefix was :file:`C:\\Program Files\\Python`, and the Distutils were not
-   part of the standard library---so the system configuration file would be
-   :file:`C:\\Program Files\\Python\\distutils\\distutils.cfg` in a standard Python
-   1.5.2 installation under Windows.
-
-(5)
-   On Windows, if the :envvar:`HOME` environment variable is not defined,
-   :envvar:`USERPROFILE` then :envvar:`HOMEDRIVE` and :envvar:`HOMEPATH` will
-   be tried. This is done by the :func:`os.path.expanduser` function used
-   by Distutils.
-
-
-.. _inst-config-syntax:
-
-Syntax of config files
-----------------------
-
-The Distutils configuration files all have the same syntax.  The config files
-are grouped into sections.  There is one section for each Distutils command,
-plus a ``global`` section for global options that affect every command.  Each
-section consists of one option per line, specified as ``option=value``.
-
-For example, the following is a complete config file that just forces all
-commands to run quietly by default:
-
-.. code-block:: ini
-
-   [global]
-   verbose=0
-
-If this is installed as the system config file, it will affect all processing of
-any Python module distribution by any user on the current system.  If it is
-installed as your personal config file (on systems that support them), it will
-affect only module distributions processed by you.  And if it is used as the
-:file:`setup.cfg` for a particular module distribution, it affects only that
-distribution.
-
-You could override the default "build base" directory and make the
-:command:`build\*` commands always forcibly rebuild all files with the
-following:
-
-.. code-block:: ini
-
-   [build]
-   build-base=blib
-   force=1
-
-which corresponds to the command-line arguments ::
-
-   python setup.py build --build-base=blib --force
-
-except that including the :command:`build` command on the command-line means
-that command will be run.  Including a particular command in config files has no
-such implication; it only means that if the command is run, the options in the
-config file will apply.  (Or if other commands that derive values from it are
-run, they will use the values in the config file.)
-
-You can find out the complete list of options for any command using the
-:option:`!--help` option, e.g.::
-
-   python setup.py build --help
-
-and you can find out the complete list of global options by using
-:option:`!--help` without a command::
-
-   python setup.py --help
-
-See also the "Reference" section of the "Distributing Python Modules" manual.
-
-
-.. _inst-building-ext:
-
-Building Extensions: Tips and Tricks
-====================================
-
-Whenever possible, the Distutils try to use the configuration information made
-available by the Python interpreter used to run the :file:`setup.py` script.
-For example, the same compiler and linker flags used to compile Python will also
-be used for compiling extensions.  Usually this will work well, but in
-complicated situations this might be inappropriate.  This section discusses how
-to override the usual Distutils behaviour.
-
-
-.. _inst-tweak-flags:
-
-Tweaking compiler/linker flags
-------------------------------
-
-Compiling a Python extension written in C or C++ will sometimes require
-specifying custom flags for the compiler and linker in order to use a particular
-library or produce a special kind of object code. This is especially true if the
-extension hasn't been tested on your platform, or if you're trying to
-cross-compile Python.
-
-In the most general case, the extension author might have foreseen that
-compiling the extensions would be complicated, and provided a :file:`Setup` file
-for you to edit.  This will likely only be done if the module distribution
-contains many separate extension modules, or if they often require elaborate
-sets of compiler flags in order to work.
-
-A :file:`Setup` file, if present, is parsed in order to get a list of extensions
-to build.  Each line in a :file:`Setup` describes a single module.  Lines have
-the following structure::
-
-   module ... [sourcefile ...] [cpparg ...] [library ...]
-
-
-Let's examine each of the fields in turn.
-
-* *module* is the name of the extension module to be built, and should be a
-  valid Python identifier.  You can't just change this in order to rename a module
-  (edits to the source code would also be needed), so this should be left alone.
-
-* *sourcefile* is anything that's likely to be a source code file, at least
-  judging by the filename.  Filenames ending in :file:`.c` are assumed to be
-  written in C, filenames ending in :file:`.C`, :file:`.cc`, and :file:`.c++` are
-  assumed to be C++, and filenames ending in :file:`.m` or :file:`.mm` are assumed
-  to be in Objective C.
-
-* *cpparg* is an argument for the C preprocessor,  and is anything starting with
-  :option:`!-I`, :option:`!-D`, :option:`!-U` or :option:`!-C`.
-
-* *library* is anything ending in :file:`.a` or beginning with :option:`!-l` or
-  :option:`!-L`.
-
-If a particular platform requires a special library on your platform, you can
-add it by editing the :file:`Setup` file and running ``python setup.py build``.
-For example, if the module defined by the line ::
-
-   foo foomodule.c
-
-must be linked with the math library :file:`libm.a` on your platform, simply add
-:option:`!-lm` to the line::
-
-   foo foomodule.c -lm
-
-Arbitrary switches intended for the compiler or the linker can be supplied with
-the :option:`!-Xcompiler` *arg* and :option:`!-Xlinker` *arg* options::
-
-   foo foomodule.c -Xcompiler -o32 -Xlinker -shared -lm
-
-The next option after :option:`!-Xcompiler` and :option:`!-Xlinker` will be
-appended to the proper command line, so in the above example the compiler will
-be passed the :option:`!-o32` option, and the linker will be passed
-:option:`!-shared`.  If a compiler option requires an argument, you'll have to
-supply multiple :option:`!-Xcompiler` options; for example, to pass ``-x c++``
-the :file:`Setup` file would have to contain ``-Xcompiler -x -Xcompiler c++``.
-
-Compiler flags can also be supplied through setting the :envvar:`CFLAGS`
-environment variable.  If set, the contents of :envvar:`CFLAGS` will be added to
-the compiler flags specified in the  :file:`Setup` file.
-
-
-.. _inst-non-ms-compilers:
-
-Using non-Microsoft compilers on Windows
-----------------------------------------
-
-.. sectionauthor:: Rene Liebscher <R.Liebscher at gmx.de>
-
-
-
-Borland/CodeGear C++
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-
-This subsection describes the necessary steps to use Distutils with the Borland
-C++ compiler version 5.5.  First you have to know that Borland's object file
-format (OMF) is different from the format used by the Python version you can
-download from the Python or ActiveState web site.  (Python is built with
-Microsoft Visual C++, which uses COFF as the object file format.) For this
-reason you have to convert Python's library :file:`python25.lib` into the
-Borland format.  You can do this as follows:
-
-.. Should we mention that users have to create cfg-files for the compiler?
-.. see also http://community.borland.com/article/0,1410,21205,00.html
-
-::
-
-   coff2omf python25.lib python25_bcpp.lib
-
-The :file:`coff2omf` program comes with the Borland compiler.  The file
-:file:`python25.lib` is in the :file:`Libs` directory of your Python
-installation.  If your extension uses other libraries (zlib, ...) you have to
-convert them too.
-
-The converted files have to reside in the same directories as the normal
-libraries.
-
-How does Distutils manage to use these libraries with their changed names?  If
-the extension needs a library (eg. :file:`foo`) Distutils checks first if it
-finds a library with suffix :file:`_bcpp` (eg. :file:`foo_bcpp.lib`) and then
-uses this library.  In the case it doesn't find such a special library it uses
-the default name (:file:`foo.lib`.) [#]_
-
-To let Distutils compile your extension with Borland C++ you now have to type::
-
-   python setup.py build --compiler=bcpp
-
-If you want to use the Borland C++ compiler as the default, you could specify
-this in your personal or system-wide configuration file for Distutils (see
-section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)
-
-
-.. seealso::
-
-   `C++Builder Compiler <https://www.embarcadero.com/products>`_
-      Information about the free C++ compiler from Borland, including links to the
-      download pages.
-
-   `Creating Python Extensions Using Borland's Free Compiler <http://www.cyberus.ca/~g_will/pyExtenDL.shtml>`_
-      Document describing how to use Borland's free command-line C++ compiler to build
-      Python.
-
-
-GNU C / Cygwin / MinGW
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-
-This section describes the necessary steps to use Distutils with the GNU C/C++
-compilers in their Cygwin and MinGW distributions. [#]_ For a Python interpreter
-that was built with Cygwin, everything should work without any of these
-following steps.
-
-Not all extensions can be built with MinGW or Cygwin, but many can.  Extensions
-most likely to not work are those that use C++ or depend on Microsoft Visual C
-extensions.
-
-To let Distutils compile your extension with Cygwin you have to type::
-
-   python setup.py build --compiler=cygwin
-
-and for Cygwin in no-cygwin mode [#]_ or for MinGW type::
-
-   python setup.py build --compiler=mingw32
-
-If you want to use any of these options/compilers as default, you should
-consider writing it in your personal or system-wide configuration file for
-Distutils (see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)
-
-Older Versions of Python and MinGW
-""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-The following instructions only apply if you're using a version of Python
-inferior to 2.4.1 with a MinGW inferior to 3.0.0 (with
-binutils-2.13.90-20030111-1).
-
-These compilers require some special libraries.  This task is more complex than
-for Borland's C++, because there is no program to convert the library.  First
-you have to create a list of symbols which the Python DLL exports. (You can find
-a good program for this task at
-https://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/MinGW/Extension/pexports/).
-
-.. I don't understand what the next line means. --amk
-.. (inclusive the references on data structures.)
-
-::
-
-   pexports python25.dll >python25.def
-
-The location of an installed :file:`python25.dll` will depend on the
-installation options and the version and language of Windows.  In a "just for
-me" installation, it will appear in the root of the installation directory.  In
-a shared installation, it will be located in the system directory.
-
-Then you can create from these information an import library for gcc. ::
-
-   /cygwin/bin/dlltool --dllname python25.dll --def python25.def --output-lib libpython25.a
-
-The resulting library has to be placed in the same directory as
-:file:`python25.lib`. (Should be the :file:`libs` directory under your Python
-installation directory.)
-
-If your extension uses other libraries (zlib,...) you might  have to convert
-them too. The converted files have to reside in the same directories as the
-normal libraries do.
-
-
-.. seealso::
-
-   `Building Python modules on MS Windows platform with MinGW <https://old.zope.dev/Members/als/tips/win32_mingw_modules>`_
-      Information about building the required libraries for the MinGW environment.
-
-
-.. rubric:: Footnotes
-
-.. [#] This also means you could replace all existing COFF-libraries with OMF-libraries
-   of the same name.
-
-.. [#] Check https://www.sourceware.org/cygwin/ for more information
-
-.. [#] Then you have no POSIX emulation available, but you also don't need
-   :file:`cygwin1.dll`.
diff --git a/Doc/library/site.rst b/Doc/library/site.rst
index ff9e9107f9d16..ea3b2e996574e 100644
--- a/Doc/library/site.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/site.rst
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ Module contents
    :file:`~/Library/Python/{X.Y}` for macOS framework builds, and
    :file:`{%APPDATA%}\\Python` for Windows.  This value is used to
    compute the installation directories for scripts, data files, Python modules,
-   etc. for the :ref:`user installation scheme <inst-alt-install-user>`.
+   etc. for the user installation scheme.
    See also :envvar:`PYTHONUSERBASE`.
 
 
diff --git a/Doc/using/cmdline.rst b/Doc/using/cmdline.rst
index 23c89400f152b..921b6a6961c7b 100644
--- a/Doc/using/cmdline.rst
+++ b/Doc/using/cmdline.rst
@@ -811,7 +811,7 @@ conflict.
 
    Defines the :data:`user base directory <site.USER_BASE>`, which is used to
    compute the path of the :data:`user site-packages directory <site.USER_SITE>`
-   and :ref:`installation paths <inst-alt-install-user>` for
+   and installation paths for
    ``python -m pip install --user``.
 
    .. seealso::



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