Pip package

As part of my work with the Microsoft Research team, we developed a project that make use of SPTAG to index 30000 datapoints for better search results. We found working with SPTAG challenging for multiple reasons, including the long build time as well as issues with boost versioning in the Dockerfile. To solve this, we decided to create a SPTAG pip installable package that we would like to contribute to the repo. The package is currently stored in a private repository, but we would like to share it with the community in order to reduce the entry barrier when implementing SPTAG in production.

The solution I propose is to provide the pip installable package for indexing in Pypi. This solution also includes a Dockerfile that takes care of all associated UNIX dependencies. However, all cmake and boost dependencies are not required anymore, as they are comprised within the package.

Before launching a PR, I wanted to get see how the main contributors feel about this (since no similar solution has been provided even though this issue was already raised in 2019). Happy to discuss any technical questions about the package.

Start by reviewing the repository's existing Dockerfile and its CMake and Boost dependency handling. Then examine the proposed pip-installable package and its Dockerfile for the required UNIX dependencies. Done means the maintainers agree on the package scope and the project has a supported PyPI distribution without requiring users to manage the current dependencies.