Windows versions of Python---pros and cons?

[Michael Hudson]

Gerhard Häring <gerhard.haering at gmx.de> writes:

> * Trent Mick <trentm at ActiveState.com> [2002-06-19 15:46 -0700]:
> > My understanding is that for C extensions to work they must be built
> > with the same compiler as that used to build the Python with which they
> > will run. (I may be wrong. Someone please correct me if I am.)
> 
> You are wrong. As long as you link to the python{major}{minor}.dll you
> are binary compatible, no matter which compiler you use.

Eh, that's a bit of a stretch isn't it?  If your compilers have
different ideas about struct layout & so on it would certainly take
more effort than just linking the same libraries.

> It's just a
> matter of providing an additional compiler option to distutils, like in:
> 
>     python setup.py build --compiler=mingw32

I do think this works, though.  I guess all compiler implementors on
Windows try to be compatible with MSVC.

Cheers,
M.

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