Support PyBI

[EpicWink]

Add support for packing a Python interpreter in the PyBI format, and using that interpreter at runtime.

Obviously right now that format is still in draft, but perhaps it's not much work to implement and could make PyEmpaq able to run without Python installed (or at least with an arbitrary version).

[facundobatista]

Hello @EpicWink .

For sure the PyBI format is something that I want to analyze in the future, but as you said, it's not enough stable yet.

The main conversation point here is if including something from PyBI will break the "multiplatformity" idea from PyEmpaq ("pack it once, use it in any platform").

Do you think PyBI will evolve to support something like that?

Thanks!!

[sinoroc]

The workflow that PyEmpaq + PyBI would allow is that the end user only need a Python interpreter installed, any Python interpreter, even if the packaged application is not compatible with that Python interpreter. The Python interpreter available on the user's machine would run the bootstrap as usual, and the bootstrap code could choose (if necessary) to download a different Python interpreter as PyBI, "install" that PyBI (whatever "install" means in that case), and finally let this new Python interpreter run the actual application. So it would improve the portability.

For example if the application only runs on PyPy, but no PyPy is installed this would be no issue.

[facundobatista]

In that case it would be an improvement for the current unpack restrictions; if those exist in the configuration file and are not met by the already installed Python, instead of failing it could download the appropriate version and use it.

Thanks!

[facundobatista]

Flagging this as "undecided" as the PEP is still in Draft state.