[Python-3000] PEP 3108: Standard Library Reorganization

[Giovanni Bajo]

Anthony Baxter wrote:

> Considerable for the open-source stuff. Windows users, in 
> particular, have great difficulty with downloading extensions.

easy_install makes Windows users very happy, though.

> Right now, I don't even know that it's possible to build a binary 
> extension without spending money - it needs a version of the MS 
> compiler that's no longer available. Last I looked, there wasn't a 
> free solution that worked (hopefully that's changed now). 

Yes, you can happily use MinGW nowadays with the standard Python distribution. 
There's an awfully lot of outdated pages about it on Internet, but the real 
truth is that since 2.4 you just need to install MinGW, and tell distutils 
about it (eg: in setup.cfg).

I agree with the general point of your message, though.
-- 
Giovanni Bajo