GNU/Linux vs. Windows as Python platform

[Alex Martelli]

"Terry Reedy" <reedy37 at home.com> wrote in message
news:Z14N6.2752$uk2.728676 at news1.rdc2.pa.home.com...
>
> "Terry Reedy" <reedy37 at home.com> wrote in message
> news:97WM6.478$uk2.228879 at news1.rdc2.pa.home.com...
> > Has anyone (reading this) had experience with running Python under both
> > Windows and Linux/Unix on the same machine (or equivalent machines)?  If
> > so, have you noticed any advantages either way?  (Other than the issue
of
> > prebuilt versus compile-your-own binaries.)
>
> Someone emailed 'Is this a troll'?  No.  I currently have a Win98 machine
> and wonder if there might be good enough reasons to add Linux to this or
my
> next machine, perhaps within the next year.
>
> By binaries, I was thinking of extension modules like PIL, wxPython, etc
> for which the developers have often made Windows binaries but not
> everything else.
>
> Summary of what read so far.  Answer depends on priority.  For heavy-duty
> standalone Python programs, running under Linux might well give more room
> and more speed.  For application automation, Windows/COM still easily
beats
> Linux.

One option that wasn't covered so far is the possibility of
running both Linux AND Windows together in the same box.  Which
is what I intend to do for MY next box -- it will run Linux
(Mandrake 8 I believe) as its main system, and have Win4Lin
on top so I can keep running a few "indispensable" things I
only have for Windows (the game "Stars!", an occasional need
for a Visual C++ session, &c).  There are many alternative
solutions to achieve a similar end, which many be a worthwhile
one for many uses.


Alex