Windows versions of Python---pros and cons?

[Fernando Pérez]

Tom Loredo wrote:

> Fernando Pérez wrote:
>> 
>> If you're an old unix hand and want to preserve your sanity, you have two
>> options:
>> 
>> 1- put linux on that laptop and be happy.
> 
> Actually, I've reserved a big chunk of the disk for linux.  Just gotta
> decide which version (is there a "best" one for Python?  E.g., Redhat
> uses Python, but does their reliance on an old version still cause
> problems?).  I'll stay there when I'm developing for *me* on it!

Well, I'm a big fan of Mandrake over RedHat: more oriented towards 
'workstation' users than 'server' users, more out-of-the box tools for 
scientific use (lyx, gnuplot, octave, Numeric, Lapack,...). Plus redhat made 
the most boneheaded decision on the planet with the two-version python setup, 
which you'll have to duct-tape your way around.

_My_ (redhat fanatics, keep off :) simple experience so far is: everytime I 
need to get something done on a mandrake machine, it works in under 15 
minutes. Everytime I have to deal with a redhat machine, I'm pissed off after 
two hours. But YMMV, as always.


>> 2- if (1) is not an option for some reason, put cygwin on it.
> 
> Actually, I need to develop stuff that other Win32 users can use,
> some probably distributed via the McMillan installer (which I presume
> works as well with Active State as with the python.org version).
> So I'm stuck here....

Don't know if there's a misunderstanding here: cygwin is a unix-like 
environment under Windows. So at least you'll have a terminal worthy of the 
name, plus all the command-line tools you neeed on a day to day basis (grep, 
sed, awk, etc.). I don't use it (I simply don't use windows except in rare 
cases), but I've heard it's quite good and makes life under windows at least 
bearable.
 
>> If you have to work in the normal,
>> crippled windows environment, that laptop is going to suffer a painful
>> death after being hurled through the nearest window very soon :)
> 
> I've only had it two weeks, and only the power cord to the battery
> charger has saved it!  The fact that Dell shipped it with a defective
> install of Win98 did not help its cause.

Well, if you do have to live with windows, I'd recommend at least using XP. 
It's still an annoying crippled toy, but at least it _is_ much more stable 
than Win9x, and when things crash they typically don't take down the whole 
system with them. Don't expect unix-class stability, but it won't drive you 
nuts like win9x will.

Best,

f