ActivePython

[tleeuwenburg at gmail.com]

On Jul 4, 2:03 pm, a... at mac.com (Alex Martelli) wrote:
> Frank Swarbrick <info... at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > Why might one choose to use ActivePython instead of using the free CPython?
>
> I believe ActivePython is also free, and it's packaged up differently
> (with more 3rd party modules accompanying it than the standard Python
> distribution), which might make it attractive to some.  Also, I believe
> ActivePython is also available as a pre-built binary for some platforms
> for which CPython is only distributed as sources (e.g., Solaris), and
> again this difference may be seen as favorable by some.
>
> Alex

Well, Komodo is a nice enough IDE, so you might choose to use
ActivePython for integration reasons, and maybe it's a little easier
on Windows.

However, I would have thought that if you were planning to distribute
an application, you would want to choose CPython for maximum
interoperability with external packages.

ActivePython claims to be ready to install across multiple platforms
(as is CPython) so perhaps a little more work has gone into making a
consistent experience across operating systems.

I have to say, I am just guessing and would love to hear from an
expert in the area on this topic. The ActiveState web page doesn't
really talk about their reasons very much.

Cheers,
-T