[SciPy-user] Building scipy without fortran compiler on Windows using MSVC C++ Toolkit compiler

[Robert Kern]

Andrew Straw wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm trying to get scipy compiled for Python 2.4 on Windows using the
> free (but not open source) MSVC C++ Toolkit compiler. (Setup of this
> compiler is detailed here:
> http://www.vrplumber.com/programming/mstoolkit/ )
> 
> I'm trying to use the MSVC C++ Toolkit compiler because I've got a hunk
> of other (C++) code compiled with it. (Although perhaps mingw will link
> fine to that code -- anyone know?)

IIRC, you can't link C++ code compiled with mingw with C++ code that was
compiled with MSVC. The C++ ABIs are different. However, it should be
possible to have both mingw-compiled C and FORTRAN extension modules and
MSVC-compiled C++ extension modules in the same process.

> So far, setup.py fails when it can't find f77.  I remember talk about
> making scipy easy to install and specifically not requiring a fortran
> compiler, at least for a minimal install.  Is this possible today? I'm
> talking about the "traditional" scipy (with Numeric) here, not newcore.
> In particular I'd like to use scipy.sparse.

That's probably not possible with old scipy. scipy.sparse in particular
has some FORTRAN in it.

-- 
Robert Kern
rkern at ucsd.edu

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
 Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
  -- Richard Harter