build VS distros

If it's pure Python, the only packaging file you need is `pyproject.toml`. You can fill that file with packaging metadata per PEP 518 and PEP 621, including using modern build tooling like flit[1] for the build backend and build[2] for the frontend.

With that, you entire package build (for all distribution types) should be reducible to `python -m build`. Here's an example of a full project doing everything with just `pyproject.toml`[3] (FD: my project).

[1]: https://github.com/pypa/flit

[2]: https://github.com/pypa/build

[3]: https://github.com/pypa/pip-audit

RE the dislike of a "third-party tool", what do you mean by this? All the major tools for packaging in Python are under the PyPA, e.g. - twine - build - hatch

building wheels/sdists to upload or install: build

python3 setup.py sdist bdist_wheel - no need for an sdist when building wheels, also I'd recommend using pypa/build instead.

The first step is to turn the internal package into a wheel (a *.whl file). We can use the build tool for this purpose. After installing build with pip we can run it as follows:

Shouldn't https://github.com/pypa/build help? I don't think it has enough features yet but I was under the impression that was the distro solution.

I guess I'll keep posting comments about https://www.calculate-linux.org/

Having started with Linux using Gentoo - after some attempted excursions into Debian/Ubuntu, then at work CentOS and even few months of having to use Slackware on servers until I finally convinced my boss that his T50-something Thinkpad will do same or better on Gentoo ... (and he won't need to manually chase up dependencies).

And even thought already for years compiling most of the things doesn't take that long. Just for not having to compile bunch of packages where I'm using standard/default config - I've tried Sabayon (back when it was still almost kind of Gentoo), went back to Gentoo ...

And then for almost a decade now - I've been extremely happy with https://www.calculate-linux.org/

https://www.calculate-linux.org/ does

Also don't overlook Calculate Linux as an option for getting into Gentoo using a GUI installer, pre-configured desktops, and a binary package repo for most of the common linux packages -- yet giving you a standard Gentoo system to work with. Apparently you would be interested in the Gnome Edition.

If we follow that project car metaphor - https://www.calculate-linux.org/ is project car where you can get all parts pre-machined (already compiled) and you can still customize bits and pieces, or even whole thing.

That said - it's default config/profile and use flags are such that it's rare some package needs to be compiled.

Mb you want to try this https://www.calculate-linux.org/ It's rebranded Gentoo with precompiled packages.

Calculate Linux

The best of all worlds, for the OP, may be Calculate Linux which provides binaries for most packages while still allowing any package to be installed from the massive gentoo repositories (including overlays such as those for Common Lisp and Haskell).