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

[Paul Moore]

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 It will be out of date very fast as the situation for Python 3.5+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variously outdated, over-complicated, or otherwise alternative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.

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.

Paul

PS Even if I don't get positive feedback, I may just say "to heck with
it" and do it anyway, because it *is* so trivial :-) I just won't
promise.