User experience with porting off setup.py

[bryevdv (Bryan Van de Ven)]

@ofek

Basically, there are components that produce extension modules and components that pack files into an archive which we call a build backend. These are two distinct pieces of functionality and my view is that there should be an API that allows backends to consume extension module builders to find out where things got created and where they should be shipped inside archives.

This is essentially my view as well but I agree no one seems to notice this view:

Python packaging documentation feedback and discussion

In retrospect, the word “build” seems to have very heavyweight connotations, e.g. invoking separate toolchains for compilation or linking or transpiling or whatever. This is certainly the case for me. I guess if I had my wish, these steps would be split up with different names and different docs for different audiences. The simple step of “assembling a wheel” would get a much less intimidating name like “pack”, with “build” would reserved for cases where all that extra work is needed. Then pur…