Brett Cannon returns to talk Python packaging, standalone builds, and the state of the ecosystem. The episode covers PEP 665, the proposed lock file format that never landed, Astral's python-build-standalone project, and the newly minted python/prebuilt-cpython repository on GitHub.
Before the Python discussion, the hosts spend real time on pop culture: Star Wars Machete Order, Babylon 5, Murderbot, Project Hail Mary, and a pointed conversation about AI voice cloning, the uncanny valley, and what it means when David Attenborough signs over perpetual voice rights.
The packaging thread is worth your full attention. PEP 665's failure and the rise of Astral as a de facto infrastructure provider for Python tooling are not separate stories. They are the same story, and Cannon is one of the few people positioned to explain why.
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