Merge pull request #809 from python-cmd2/docs_packaging

Added a docs section on packaging cmd2 applications for distribution

Author: kmvanbrunt

docs/features/index.rst

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Features
    misc
    multiline_commands
    os
+   packaging
    plugins
    prompt
    redirection

docs/features/packaging.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+
+Packaging a cmd2 application for distribution
+=============================================
+
+As a general-purpose tool for building interactive command-line applications,
+``cmd2`` is designed to be used in many ways. How you distribute your ``cmd2``
+application to customers or end users is up to you.  See the
+`Overview of Packaging for Python`_ from the Python Packaging Authority for a
+thorough discussion of the extensive options within the Python ecosystem.
+
+For developers wishing to package a ``cmd2`` application into a single binary
+image or compressed file, we can recommend all of the following based on
+personal and professional experience:
+
+* Deploy your ``cmd2`` Python app using Docker_
+  * Powerful and flexible - allows you to control entire user space and
+  setup other applications like databases
+  * As long as it isn't problematic for your customers to have Docker
+  installed, then this is probably the best option
+* PyInstaller_
+  * Quick and easy - it "just works" and everything you need is installable
+  via ``pip``
+  * Packages up all of the dependencies into a single directory which you can
+  then zip up
+* Nuitka_
+  * Converts your Python to C and compiles it to a native binary file
+  * This can be particularly convenient if you wish to obfuscate the Python
+  source code behind your application
+  * Recommend invoking with ``--follow-imports`` flag like:
+  ``python3 -m nuitka --follow-imports your_app.py``
+* `Conda Constructor`_
+  * Allows you to create a custom Python distro based on Miniconda_
+
+.. _`Overview of Packaging for Python`: https://packaging.python.org/overview/
+.. _Docker: https://djangostars.com/blog/what-is-docker-and-how-to-use-it-with-python/
+.. _PyInstaller: https://www.pyinstaller.org
+.. _Nuitka: https://nuitka.net
+.. _`Conda Constructor`: https://github.com/conda/constructor
+.. _Miniconda: https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html