glib2 @2.78.3_1: gdbus-codegen fails with python3.12 due to distutils use

[tenzap]

I was trying to build gtk3 and was facing this build error.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'

I had to install py-setuptools to make it build

See also ​https://stackoverflow.com/questions/77233855/why-did-i-got-an-error-modulenotfounderror-no-module-named-distutils

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Distutils was of course removed from the Python stdlib in 3.12. But gtk3 doesn't directly depend on Python, so a log would be useful to see what is actually using this.

[tenzap]

see log attached

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

OK, so it's gdbus-codegen which is part of glib2.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

So what is the solution? Add py312-setuputils as a runtime dependency to glib2 and glib2-devel?

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Upstream's fix was apparently to switch to packaging. ​https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/-/commit/6ef967a0f930ce37a8c9b5aff969693b34714291

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

So for glib2 we could do any of these:

1. add a patch for that change and add py312-packaging dependency
2. add py312-setuputils dependency
3. revert to python311

That commit was included 2.79.0 so for glib2-devel we have a fourth option:

4. update to 2.79.0 and add py312-packaging dependency

Chris, what do you want to do?

[mascguy (Christopher Nielsen)]

Replying to ryandesign:

So for glib2 we could do any of these:

1. add a patch for that change and add py312-packaging dependency
2. add py312-setuputils dependency
3. revert to python311

That commit was included 2.79.0 so for glib2-devel we have a fourth option:

4. update to 2.79.0 and add py312-packaging dependency

Chris, what do you want to do?

Still buried with work for my day job, so may not be able to look at this right away. But option 1 would be my preference.

More generally, we need to be cautious about switching to Python 3.12, particularly for foundational ports like this. (Just a general suggestion, to avoid having to scramble to fix issues.)

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to mascguy:

Replying to ryandesign:

1. add a patch for that change and add py312-packaging dependency

But option 1 would be my preference.

Ok. I may look into this in the next days if nobody else beats me to it.

More generally, we need to be cautious about switching to Python 3.12, particularly for foundational ports like this. (Just a general suggestion, to avoid having to scramble to fix issues.)

Evidently! This distutils thing seems like one big easy-to-overlook problem (it occurs with gobject-introspection too in #69105), and syntax warnings due to lack of use of raw strings is another big one I've seen several times already in other ports. I was trying to be helpful but I should have remembered that I don't understand Python so I've discontinued my effort to switch ports to Python 3.12 and will leave it for those more knowledgeable.