Make sage-conf optional

As noted in sagemath#37024 and in sagemath#36489, `sage-conf` is actually not needed on a few systems now. For this reason, we make the installation of it optional (as there are no optional install requires as far as I know, this means we remove it from `pyproject.toml` and `setup.cfg`). We also remove it from "install all dependencies via conda" as its not needed there.

.devcontainer/onCreate-conda.sh

@@ -8,6 +8,5 @@ conda init bash
 
 # Build sage
 conda run -n sage-dev ./bootstrap
-conda run -n sage-dev ./configure --with-python=/opt/conda/envs/sage-dev/bin/python --prefix=/opt/conda/envs/sage-dev
-conda run -n sage-dev pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-conf ./pkgs/sage-setup 
+conda run -n sage-dev pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-setup 
 conda run -n sage-dev pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./src

.github/workflows/ci-conda.yml

@@ -62,21 +62,17 @@ jobs:
           conda info
           conda list
 
-      - name: Configure
+      - name: Bootstrap
         shell: bash -l {0}
         continue-on-error: true
         run: |
           ./bootstrap
-          echo "::add-matcher::.github/workflows/configure-systempackage-problem-matcher.json"
-          ./configure --enable-build-as-root --with-python=$CONDA_PREFIX/bin/python --prefix=$CONDA_PREFIX --enable-system-site-packages $(for pkg in $(./sage -package list :standard: --has-file spkg-configure.m4 --has-file distros/conda.txt --exclude rpy2); do echo --with-system-$pkg=force; done)
-          echo "::remove-matcher owner=configure-system-package-warning::"
-          echo "::remove-matcher owner=configure-system-package-error::"
 
       - name: Build
         shell: bash -l {0}
         run: |
           # Use --no-deps and pip check below to verify that all necessary dependencies are installed via conda.
-          pip install --no-build-isolation --no-deps -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-conf ./pkgs/sage-setup
+          pip install --no-build-isolation --no-deps -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-setup
           pip install --no-build-isolation --no-deps --config-settings editable_mode=compat -v -v -e ./src
         env:
           SAGE_NUM_THREADS: 2

.gitpod.yml

@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ tasks:
       && conda config --append envs_dirs $(pwd)
       && conda activate $(pwd)/venv
       && ./bootstrap
-      && ./configure --enable-build-as-root --with-python=$CONDA_PREFIX/bin/python --prefix=$CONDA_PREFIX
-      && pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-conf ./pkgs/sage-setup
+      && pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./pkgs/sage-setup
       && pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v -e ./src
     # Activate conda environment, set up Trac remote
     # RestructuredText extension recommends python extension, although we have already installed it

pkgs/sage-conf/README.rst

@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ sage_conf for conda
 
 The version of the distribution package in the directory
 `pkgs/sage-conf_conda <https://github.com/sagemath/sage/tree/develop/pkgs/sage-conf_conda/>`_
-is used in an experimental installation method of SageMath, where all packages
+may be used in an installation method of SageMath, where all packages
 are provided by conda.  This method is described in
 https://doc.sagemath.org/html/en/installation/conda.html#using-conda-to-provide-all-dependencies-for-the-sage-library-experimental
 

src/doc/en/installation/conda.rst

@@ -131,9 +131,15 @@ Here we assume that you are using a git checkout.
   - Bootstrap the source tree and install the build prerequisites and the Sage library::
 
       $ ./bootstrap
-      $ pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v --editable ./pkgs/sage-conf_conda ./pkgs/sage-setup
+      $ pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v --editable ./pkgs/sage-setup
       $ pip install --no-build-isolation --config-settings editable_mode=compat -v -v --editable ./src
 
+    If you encounter any errors, try to install the ``sage-conf`` package first::
+
+      $ pip install --no-build-isolation -v -v --editable ./pkgs/sage-conf_conda
+
+    and then run the last command again.
+
   - Verify that Sage has been installed::
 
       $ sage -c 'print(version())'

src/pyproject.toml.m4

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ requires = [
     # Note that PEP517/518 have no notion of optional sage_spkg dependencies:
     # https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/6144
      esyscmd(`sage-get-system-packages install-requires-toml \
-        sage_conf      \
         setuptools \
         wheel          \
         sage_setup     \

src/setup.cfg.m4

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ include(`setup_cfg_metadata.m4')dnl'
 [options]
 python_requires = >=3.9, <3.12
 install_requires =
-    SPKG_INSTALL_REQUIRES_sage_conf
     SPKG_INSTALL_REQUIRES_six
 dnl From build/pkgs/sagelib/dependencies
     SPKG_INSTALL_REQUIRES_conway_polynomials