Support tensorflow (purelib)

[kerinin]

A similar problem existed in rules_python (https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_python/issues/71) but it appears to be resolved. I would really like to use rules_pip but I need tensorflow.

[apt-itude]

Hi @kerinin, thanks for bringing this up. I definitely should add support for purelib/platlib distributions, so I will look into this when I get a chance. It actually doesn't look like the issue you referenced or its root cause (bazelbuild/rules_python#92) have been resolved, although others have posted workarounds specifically for tensorflow.

Given that tensorflow actually is a Bazel project, have you tried depending on it via the GitHub repository instead? They appear to have a public //tensorflow:tensorflow_py target for the Python library.

[kerinin]

It may be possible to build tensorflow as a remote repository, but building it takes about 6h, which isn't really a workable solution for my team.

[apt-itude]

Oh wow, I didn't realize the build time was that high. If you used a shared remote build cache you'd only need to do it once until you need to upgrade. Either way, I do need to add support for this.