<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV>I've often found the Linux world to be like falling off a log,</DIV><DIV>specifically, a log above a deep chasm with sharp rocks</DIV><DIV>at the bottom :-)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Linux has its place (though I tended to use FreeBSD more),</DIV><DIV>but it's been several years since I've wanted to actually know</DIV><DIV>how to manage my own system. I'd suggest that the variety of</DIV><DIV>distribution/installation schemes that have been developed</DIV><DIV>for these systems indicate that software installation is _not_</DIV><DIV>that easy to do on them.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>IMHO, any installation procedure that requires the user to</DIV><DIV>compile a piece of software is fundamentally broken; the</DIV><DIV>compilation step is part of the software development process,</DIV><DIV>and should be done at the source, so that compilation/linking/make/etc.</DIV><DIV>bugs can be handled there. Hence my question about installing</DIV><DIV>Python-related packages on Windows (in spite of all of my other</DIV><DIV>dislikes of Windows, which are numerous).</DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On 14-Dec-05, at 9:16 PM, Dan Sommers wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">On the other hand, it seems like most of this stuff is just available</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">as installers for PCs.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Am I being naive to think that installation of</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">most of this stuff (including getting it working) will be much easier</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">in the PC world?</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">It can be like falling off a log in the Linux world.</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>