[Python-Dev] Status of C compilers for Python on Windows

[Terry Reedy]

On 10/29/2014 4:05 PM, Paul Moore wrote:
> On 29 October 2014 15:31, Nathaniel Smith <njs at pobox.com> wrote:
>>> You can use Express editions of Visual Studio.
>>
>> IIUC, the express edition compilers are 32-bit only, and what you actually
>> want are the "SDK compilers":
>> https://github.com/cython/cython/wiki/64BitCythonExtensionsOnWindows
>>
>> These are freely downloadable by anyone, no msdn subscription required, but
>> only if you know where to find them!
>>
>> AFAICT the main obstacle to using MSVC to build python extensions (assuming
>> it can handle your code at all) is not anything technical, but rather that
>> there's no clear and correct tutorial on how to do it, and lots of confusion
>> and misinformation circulating.
>
> Would it help if I wrote a document explaining how to set up the MS
> compilers (free and paid for) to allow building of Python extensions?

> There are a few provisos:
>
> 1. A lot of it will be pretty trivial: "If you have Vistal Studio
> (full edition), install it. Done."
> 2. It will be out of date very fast as the situation for Python 3.5+
> will be trivial across the board.
> 3. I don't have anywhere particularly authoritative to host it (maybe
> the Python Wiki?) and it could easily get lost in the huge swamp of
> variously outdated, over-complicated, or otherwise alternative
> documents available. Ideally I'd like someone to suggest an "official"
> location I could use.

There is already a section in the devguide for building Python itself, 
with mostly the same info, except it may not be up to date.

> I don't want to do this if it won't be useful, as it'll take me a bit
> of effort to confirm the process for the only non-trivial scenario
> (64-bit Python 3.3/3.4 with free tools). But if people think it would
> help, that's fine, I volunteer.

The devguide needs to be kept up to date.  If you open a tracker issue, 
put me as nosy to review and commit.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy