gh-104773: PEP 594: Remove the msilib package

[zware]

• Issue: PEP 594: Remove stdlib modules scheduled for deletion in Python 3.13 #104773

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📚 Documentation preview 📚: https://cpython-previews--104911.org.readthedocs.build/

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msilib/__init__.py starts with from _msi import *: the _msi extension should be removed as well, no? Do you plan to remove it as a separated PR?

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Note: The msilib module was used by the bdist_msi command of distutils, but this command was removed in Python 3.11, and the whole distutils package was removed in Python 3.12. See the bdist_msi deprecation in Python 3.9 for the rationale: issue #83767.

Now it's fine to remove this deprecated msilib module. Well, PEP 594 has a longer rationale.

[vstinner]

LGTM.

The _msi extension can be removed in a separated PR.

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Using import msilib|from msilib regex, I found the following projects of PyPI top 5,000 projects (at 2023-04-13) using the removed msilib module.

Affected projects (2):

• mpi4py (3.1.4)
• pygame (2.3.0)

pygame-2.3.0/setup.py: import msilib
mpi4py-3.1.4/conf/mpidistutils.py: import msilib

[vstinner]

Does Tools\msi\build.bat use msilib module or _msi extension? Or does it use Windows tooling instead?

There is .github/workflows/build_msi.yml which runs Tools\msi\build.bat, but I don't know what triggers this GHA job. Is it when one file in Tools/msi/ is modified?

It may be interesting to check that these tools and/or this GHA job still work ;-)

[vstinner]

Oh wait, I see a TestsMSI / Windows Installer (x64) (pull_request) In progress task running! It will tell us if it still works :-)

[vstinner]

LGTM. The msilib LGTM. For the _msi removal, I'm not 100% confident that I can review the VS solution changes (but from what I saw, it LGTM as well).