[Python-Dev] compiling python2.5 (msys+mingw+wine) - giving up using msvcr80 assemblies for now

[Nick Coghlan]

Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> i'd say "great" - but given a choice of "impressive profile guided
> optimisation plus a proprietary compiler, proprietary operating system
> _and_ being forced to purchase a system _capable_ of running said
> proprietary compiler, said proprietary operating system, _and_ giving
> up free software principles _and_ having to go through patch-pain,
> install-pain _and_ being forced to use a GUI-based IDE for
> compilation" or "free software tools and downloads the use of which
> means i am beholden to NOONE", it's a simple choice for me to make -
> maybe not for other people.

It only becomes a problem when someone wants to both support Windows
users of their extension modules with pre-built binaries, but *also*
doesn't want to set up the appropriate environment for building such
binaries (currently a minimum bar of Visual Studio Express on a Windows
VM instance).

The most common reaction I've seen to this problem from package
developers is "I don't run Windows, so if users want pre-built binaries,
someone with a Windows environment is going to have to volunteer to
provide them". And that seems like a perfectly reasonable way to handle
the situation to me.

On POSIX systems, GCC does a great job, on Windows, MSVC is better (from
a performance point of view). The closed source vs open source, free vs
non-free philosophical arguments don't really play a significant part in
the decision.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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