[doc] Remove deprecated call to setup.py

[jcastill]

When running 'python3 setup.py install' we get an alert about deprecation:

running install
/usr/lib/python3.12/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/cmd.py:66: SetuptoolsDeprecationWarning: setup.py install is deprecated. !!

setup.py per se is not deprecated, but the way
it's invoked is. This commit provides an alternative way to install sos still using setup.py.

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[packit-as-a-service]

Congratulations! One of the builds has completed. 🍾

You can install the built RPMs by following these steps:

• sudo yum install -y dnf-plugins-core on RHEL 8
• sudo dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core on Fedora
• dnf copr enable packit/sosreport-sos-4042
• And now you can install the packages.

Please note that the RPMs should be used only in a testing environment.

[jcastill]

There were at least possible solutions/substitutions here:

1- When running the command as it is now in the README, we get this after the warning:

		********************************************************************************
		Please avoid running ``setup.py`` directly.
		Instead, use pypa/build, pypa/installer or other
		standards-based tools.

		See https://blog.ganssle.io/articles/2021/10/setup-py-deprecated.html for details.
		********************************************************************************

The blog post offers as an alternative pip install, in a table in the section "Summary".

2- There's also this doc that offers an alternative to python3 setup.py install:

https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/discussions/setup-py-deprecated/#setup-py-deprecated
https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/guides/modernize-setup-py-project/#modernize-setup-py-project *

Here the command specified is:

python -m pip install .

I chose this one but can change it to the first one if you all think it's better.

• In the second link it's mentioned that 'A pyproject.toml file is strongly recommended.' I've been experimenting with a pyproject.toml for sos just as a side thing, but if the community thinks it could be useful for us to have one, let me know and I can open a draft PR with the work I've done so far, and the issues I've encountered, so we can all work on this together.

[arif-ali]

I had a go at converting the setup.py to pyproject.toml a while back, and had got stuck (I think it was abut the data_files option from setup.py that I couldn't replicate), and then didn't move it along and forgot about it. I would love to see us move to the new recommended approach (but that is my personal opinion)

[bmr-cymru]

data_files is deprecated and "strongly discouraged":

https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/latest/userguide/declarative_config.html

And:

https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/latest/userguide/datafiles.html

"Old packaging installation methods in the Python ecosystem have traditionally allowed installation of 'data files', which are placed in a platform-specific location."

I don't believe there is a solution to this unfortunately - the Python community has made it pretty clear that the old methods for installing files in platform-specific locations isn't coming back (it's characterised as an uncommon use case in the 2nd link, but I think there are many packages that are affected by this, judging by all the hacks I've seen e.g. referenced in the below pypa issue).

This pypa/packaging-problems issue talks about it a bit more in the context of man pages:

pypa/packaging-problems#72

For the packages I maintain that are on PyPi I've just accepted for now at least that there's no good way to install the man pages or system-wide configuration files automatically. I've implemented "config create" commands to deal with the configuration aspect, but I don't know of any general solution to the man page issue so far :sadface:

[jcastill]

Thank you both for your insights, it's really helpful. I noticed the same problems with man pages, and a similar one while translating/transforming from setup.py's scripts section to pyproject.toml [project.scripts], but that could be because I still don't understand it fully.

I'll open a discussion or an issue so we can put some ideas together and track some possible solutions.