Which compiler will Python 2.5 / Windows (Intel) be built with?

[Fredrik Lundh]

meyer at mesw.de wrote:

> the problem is not the ABI, but the runtime libraries. From what you're
> saying, it looks like we will have to standardize on VS2003. As I said,
> we need to buy VS anyway because of the MFC support. On the other hand,
> I really worry about all those people that want to build open source
> extensions for Python 2.5. It is really possible that there will be no
> legal, free way to do that soon if you don't have an old installation
> of the 2003 toolkit lying around somewhere... So I'd like to ask you:
> why was the decision taken a while ago (and is not subject to
> reconsideration) and what are the reasons for using VS2003? I mean
> there must be a real good reason why you're doing this, as I only see
> disadvantages in it.

hint: most people who provide third-party extensions to Python support 
more than just the latest Python version...

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