> downloading a distribution is not a final goal, imho.
> Wouldn't it be simpler to have a simple function that provides this feature ? 

The reasoning behind my request was that providing a way to do steps from the command-line is good.  pysetup install figures dependencies + downloads + builds and installs; I think it’s good to let user do each step at a time, or at separate time.  Packaging systems and installers like pip support this usage.

(I was mistaken in suggesting a command though; commands work in a project directory.)