How to install Python package from source on Windows

[MRAB]

On 2017-05-26 00:11, Deborah Swanson wrote:
> breamoreboy at gmail.com wrote, on Thursday, May 25, 2017 3:23 PM
>> 
>> On Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 10:32:56 PM UTC+1, Deborah Swanson wrote:
>> > > Michael Torrie wrote, on Thursday, May 25, 2017 1:57 PM
>> > > > I didn't see a traceback where you tried to upgrade pip 
>> to 9.0.1.
>> > 
>> > It's a long thread. You just didn't find it.
>> > 
>> 
>> You've never attempted to upgrade pip that I can see.  You 
>> were invited to do so 
>> https://www.mail-archive.com/python-list@python.org/msg426173.
> html but apparently didn't bother.
> 
> Kindest regards.
> 
> Mark Lawrence.
> 
> I apologize. I wrote it up, with the traceback, but the group had moved
> on and I decided not to send it.
> 
> Unfortunately I deleted that message and now I no longer have a pip to
> run
> 
> python -m pip install --upgrade pip
> 
> So I can't make another traceback. But the upgrade attempt did uninstall
> the old pip, which is why I don't have one now, and it died trying to
> install Visual Studio 2015.
> 
Here's an experiment I performed:

C:\Python34\Scripts contained the files "pip.exe", "pip3.4.exe" and 
"pip3.exe". I deleted them.

C:\Python34\Lib\site-packages contained the folders "pip" and 
"pip-9.0.1.dist-info". I deleted them too.

OK, so starting from that state, I download pip:

C:\Python34>python -m ensurepip
Ignoring indexes: https://pypi.python.org/simple/
Requirement already satisfied (use --upgrade to upgrade): setuptools in 
c:\python34\lib\site-packages
Downloading/unpacking pip
Installing collected packages: pip
Successfully installed pip
Cleaning up...

C:\Python34>scripts\pip3.4 -V
pip 1.5.4 from C:\Python34\lib\site-packages (python 3.4)

I now have pip, but it's not the latest version.

C:\Python34>python -m pip install --upgrade pip
Downloading/unpacking pip from 
https://pypi.python.org/packages/b6/ac/7015eb97dc749283ffdec1c3a88ddb8ae03b8fad0f0e611408f196358da3/pip-9.0.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl#md5=297dbd16ef53bcef0447d245815f5144
Installing collected packages: pip
   Found existing installation: pip 1.5.4
     Uninstalling pip:
       Successfully uninstalled pip
Successfully installed pip
Cleaning up...

C:\Python34>scripts\pip -V
pip 9.0.1 from C:\Python34\lib\site-packages (python 3.4)


And at no point did it ask for a compiler.