[Python-Dev] Moving Python 3.5 on Windows to a new compiler

[R. David Murray]

On Fri, 06 Jun 2014 16:37:01 -0000, dw+python-dev at hmmz.org wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 06, 2014 at 03:41:22PM +0000, Steve Dower wrote:
> 
> > [snip]
> 
> Speaking as a third party who aims to provide binary distributions for
> recent Python releases on Windows, every new compiler introduces a
> licensing and configuration headache. So I guess the questions are:
> 
> * Does the ABI stability address some historical real world problem with
>   Python binary builds? (I guess possibly)
> 
> * Is the existing solution of third parties building under e.g. Mingw as
>   an option of last resort causing real world issues? It seems to work
>   for a lot of people, although I personally avoid it.
> 
> * Have other compiler vendors indicated they will change their ABI
>   environment to match VS under this new stability guarantee? If not,
>   then as yet there is no real world benefit here.
> 
> * Has Python ever hit a showstopper release issue as a result of a bug
>   in MSVC? (I guess probably not).
> 
> * Will VS 14 be golden prior to Python 3.5's release? It would suck to
>   rely on a beta compiler.. :)
> 
> 
> Sorry for dunking water on this, but I've recently spent a ton of time
> getting a Microsoft build environment running, and it seems possible a
> new compiler may not yet justify more effort if there is little tangible
> benefit.

If I understand correctly (but I may not as I'm not a windows dev) we're
going to want to switch VS versions for 3.5 anyway, so switching to the
cutting edge one but where Steve can be and is willing to be in a tight
feedback loop with the developers sounds like a win to me.

--David