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

[R. David Murray]

On Wed, 29 Oct 2014 23:33:06 -0400, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:
> 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 It will be out of date very fast as the situation for Python 3.5+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 variously outdated, over-complicated, or otherwise alternative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.

The devguide is about building python itself.  Paul is talking about
building extensions.  That should go in the packaging docs.  I don't
*think* Paul is volunteering to explain how to build python itself,
that's pretty much our job :)

--David