[Python] Stop using distutils

[asfimport]

According to PEP 632, distutils will be deprecated in Python 3.10 and removed in 3.12.

Reporter: Antoine Pitrou / @pitrou
Assignee: Antoine Pitrou / @pitrou

PRs and other links:

• GitHub Pull Request #9849

_{Note: This issue was originally created as ARROW-12068. Please see the migration documentation for further details.}

[asfimport]

Joris Van den Bossche / @jorisvandenbossche:
We have some different use cases of distutils right now:

• distutils.sysconfig -> can be replaced with sysconfig stdlib module (although in we also use get_python_inc and get_python_lib in eg FindPythonLibsNew.cmake, which don't have a 1:1 alternative, I think)
• distutils.util.strtobool -> need to implement ourselves
• distutils.command.clean / distutils.core.setup -> setuptools
• distutils.version.LooseVersion -> the alternative here is the packaging package. But do we want to add that as a new dependency?

[asfimport]

Antoine Pitrou / @pitrou:
It would be nice to avoid the packaging dependency, but I'm not sure whether that's possible.

Or we can vendor the corresponding code, which seems self-contained apart from the typing boilerplate:
https://github.com/pypa/packaging/blob/main/packaging/version.py

[asfimport]

Joris Van den Bossche / @jorisvandenbossche:

It would be nice to avoid the packaging dependency, but I'm not sure whether that's possible.

Basically every single package (at least the ones I am contributing to) will be faced the same question/dilemma; it would be nice if there was an alternative in the stdlib ..

Vendoring seems fine for me as well

[asfimport]

Antoine Pitrou / @pitrou:
Issue resolved by pull request 9849
#9849