[Python-ideas] Update the required C compiler for Windows to a supported version.

[M.-A. Lemburg]

On 27.11.2013 15:03, Vernon D. Cole wrote:
> Before anyone starts flaming me about "off topic" -- I already know that my
> suggestion is going to be different from what is usually discussed on this
> group.  I may not write often, but I am a faithful reader (a.k.a. lurker).
> Please bear with me.  I am not aware of any other place where what I am
> about to say is _on_ topic.  ...
> 
> Yesterday, I set out to try installing a medium-size django application on
> Windows. It did not go well.  It is now 24 hours later -- and I have tried
> many things.  The problem was that "pip" needed to compile a module.  There
> was no C compiler on the machine.  After 24 hours of web searching and
> trying many things, I have come to the following conclusion:  I cannot
> compile a Python extension module with any Microsoft compiler I can obtain.
> 
>   My new Windows 8.1 computer is running Visual Studio 2013 -- which would
> be fine if I wanted to compile my own Python interpreter, I suppose.  I
> spent most of the day trying to find a working Visual Studio 2008 or C++
> 7.1 compiler.  The only things I could find to download were patches for
> Visual Studio 2010. I tried several variations to install it on my old
> Windows 7 laptop -- all to no avail.

Here's the ISO file for VS 2018 SP1 Express:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/8/E/E8EEB394-7F42-4963-A2D8-29559B738298/VS2008ExpressWithSP1ENUX1504728.iso

I cannot say whether it runs on Windows 7, but would be surprised
if it didn't.

> May I humbly suggest that Python 3.4 be released using  Microsoft Visual
> Studio Express 2013 for Windows
> Desktop<http://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/downloads>,
> a (free) compiler which will actually run on the current version of
> Windows?
> 
> That's the Python Idea that I am requesting.

The express versions don't provide some of the optimizations
used for the Python binaries shipped on python.org and at
least earlier versions also did not allow cross-compiling
64-bit versions (but that may have changed now that 64-bit
is becoming the standard).

Now instead of requiring that Python itself be compiled
using the express versions, perhaps the slightly alternative
option of requiring that Python (and C extensions)
*can* be compiled using the express version would be a better
way forward :-)

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
eGenix.com

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