otel: Follow-up Evaluation

[schloerke]

Goal: Evaluate whether optional dependency group approach is better than required dependency.

Tasks

• Assess current approach after Phases 1-9:
  • User friction (need to install OTel SDK separately)
  • Documentation complexity
  • Feedback from early adopters
• Document pros and cons of each approach:
  • Required dependency: Simpler for users, larger install size
  • Optional dependency: More complex imports, user must explicitly opt-in
• If optional approach is chosen, prototype implementation:
  • Move opentelemetry-api to optional dependencies in pyproject.toml
  • Add import guards to shiny/otel/_core.py
  • Gracefully handle missing OTel imports
  • Update tests to skip when OTel not installed
• Make final decision and implement chosen approach

Acceptance Criteria

• Comparison of approaches documented with pros/cons
• If switching to optional: All code handles missing imports gracefully
• If switching to optional: Tests skip when OTel not installed
• If staying with required: Document rationale
• No breaking changes for users

Files to Modify (if switching to optional)

• pyproject.toml
• shiny/otel/_core.py
• All test files to add skip conditions