[Python-Dev] Re: Stability and change (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Wed, 10 Apr 2002 11:55:26 -0400

Let's say that I fall into this camp and would like to be able to compile Python on Windows 98. What good free compiler do you recommend, what are the minimum steps I need to follow to install it, and what are the minimum steps I need to follow to compile the latest Python from CVS? (I already know how to use CVS fairly well.)

If the only real barrier is a lack of information, let's fix that problem first. Then we can see whether any Windows users are serious about testing alphas and betas. This is the only way we'll make any progress.

Checking out from CVS is documented well on SF: http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=5470

If you want a free compiler on Windows, I'd recommend Cygwin (a Unixy development environment that includes GCC). There are some problems with Cygwin, but it's getting better all the time. PythonLabs doesn't have the time to pay attention, so we'd love it if we got help keeping Python running on Cygwin. A few people send us patches for Cygwin regularly, but we have no way to test these, so independent confirmation would be great.

I hear there's also a free Borland compiler, but I don't know anything about it. There used to be some Borland specific #ifdefs in the Windows pyconfig.h, but they've probably rotted away.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)