A series on Python packaging

[Posted February 22, 2023 by jake]

The great Python packaging debate is still ongoing as of late February 2023. LWN has been covering those discussions in an open-ended series of articles. So far, we have:

A survey of the Python packaging landscape: an overview of the tools and environments in use today.
Python packaging, visions, and unification: Python users feel there is a need for a unified packaging tool, does conda provide the right model for that?
Convergence in the pip and conda worlds?: perhaps some kind of merging between pip and conda would the right path forward.
Users and Python packaging: the discussion was rekindled after the start of the new year with a focus on the results of a user survey on Python packaging.
Python packaging targets: the discussion moved on to whether all Python users are expected to (also) be system integrators, so that they have to handle everything needed to build their packages—or turn that job over to a distributor—or whether the packaging tools can help solve some of those problems.
Python packaging and its tools: while the idea of enhancing pip as the default tool for packaging was being discussed, a new Rust-based tool was introduced, and, inevitably, discussed as well.