My only complaint about Python

[Darren Dale]

I love the language. I love the community. My only complaint is that 
Python for Windows is built with Visual Studio.

It is too difficult to build python, or a module, from source. This is 
what open source is all about, isnt it? I even have a copy of visual 
studio, and I still cant build modules from source, because my academic 
copy is version 7. As a scientist funded by the NSF, I feel compelled to 
do all my work using free software (I feel compelled to use free 
software, regardless). And I feel compelled to contribute to the 
scientific capabilities of my favorite programming language. But this 
compiler issue is a big (and seemingly unnecessary) impediment. Will the 
BDFL ever split with Visual Studio?