python: consider splitting out the stdlib tests

[GitMensch]

Just did a fresh install and have seen that the python package ships with a big lib/python directory. Is this really needed - especially the "test" subdirectory which takes 60MB alone?

If not then it would be very reasonable to delete those in the PKGBUILD instead of shipping them; or, if it is only very seldom needed, move that out to an optional python-testlibs package.

Rechecked: the old Python Windows package I've installed over three years ago also includes lib/test (with much less content, but still). Nonetheless: Does a user of MinGW would need that?

Is it also reasonable to ship the __pycache__ folders?

[lazka]

If not then it would be very reasonable to delete those in the PKGBUILD instead of shipping them; or, if it is only very seldom needed, move that out to an optional python-testlibs package.

Is any other distro doing that? And which directories does this include? There are lots of test_xxx directories

Is it also reasonable to ship the __pycache__ folders?

If we wouldn't ship them then Python would create them and they wouldn't be tracked by pacman.

[GitMensch]

If we wouldn't ship them then Python would create them ...

sure, but only those that are actually used, and there would be some space saving for sure

... and they wouldn't be tracked by pacman.

Hm, would an uninstall then go wrong? All those __pycache__ directories would still be below a directory "created" by pacman for the package.

Is any other distro doing that?

I'm neither a python nor a distro expert so I don't know. The main question is "what do we want" and what would be the (implied) result.

And which directories does this include? There are lots of test_xxx directories

I've thought about lib/tests and everything below and all __pycache__ directories. Do we have a python expert knowing about the files there (or possibly should contact the python mailing list)?

[lazka]

related upstream issues:

https://bugs.python.org/issue27640

https://bugs.python.org/issue10572

[GitMensch]

That's interesting. So it looks 3.10 has a --disable-test-modules that we can use when updating MSYS2 python from 3.9 to 3.10 which will then also fix this issue, Hooray! (at least the test part, not sure what to do about the implications of dropping __pycache__ directories).

Is someone working on this update or any known issue with 3.10?

[lazka]

That's interesting. So it looks 3.10 has a --disable-test-modules that we can use when updating MSYS2 python from 3.9 to 3.10 which will then also fix this issue, Hooray! (at least the test part, not sure what to do about the implications of dropping __pycache__ directories).

If we want to remove the tests, yes (do we?). For splitting it at least defines the set of optional directories in an official way which we could split... as we still have to install them during the package build.

Is someone working on this update or any known issue with 3.10?

That's happening here: https://github.com/msys2-contrib/cpython-mingw/issues/52 Not sure when that will be ready.

[lazka]

Is any other distro doing that?

To answer that, Arch does: https://archlinux.org/packages/core/x86_64/python-tests/

[GitMensch]

In this case I think MSYS2 definitely should do the same.

[GitMensch]

An https://github.com/archlinux/svntogit-packages/blob/packages/python/trunk/PKGBUILD nicely shows how it is done.

[lazka]

Since removing the tests as a user is hard and this is "supported" upstream now this sounds good to me.

[GitMensch]

... and it fits perfectly well in the current "minimal size approach", too :-) Sadly I won't find the time for this myself in the next weeks, possibly months.