Is there some reason that recent Windows 3.6 releases don't included executable nor msi installers?

[Mike Dewhirst]

On 29/05/2020 12:26 pm, Chris Angelico wrote:
> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 11:57 AM Mike Dewhirst <miked at dewhirst.com.au> wrote:
>> I am an example
>>
>> I installed all the Pythons on my Windows 10 dev machine (locked into
>> Windows by having clients) but I'm also locked into Python 3.6.9 on my
>> Ubuntu 18.04 production machines.
> Be careful of assuming too much here. The general policy with most
> Linux distributions is to number the version according to the oldest
> component in it, but they are free to backport whatever changes they
> choose. I have Python 3.4.4 and 3.5.3 on this system (Debian Stretch),
> but the 3.5 is numbered "3.5.3-1+deb9u1" which implies some collection
> of additional patches. (I'd have to dig deep in the changelogs if I
> cared exactly *which* patches.)
>
>> After chasing down an obscure problem I decided to go back to Py36 on
>> Windows to be using the same versions in dev as in prd. I couldn't find
>> an installer on python.org so I retrieved one (3.6.5) from my archives.
> That'd be the same feature version, but depending exactly what the
> problem is, there might not be *any* Windows build that exactly
> corresponds.
>
>> If I was asked to suggest a guide for which versions ought to get a
>> Windows binary I would look at the most popular LTS *nix distros and
>> keep Windows binaries in step just to support people like me who cannot
>> live with too much Windows clutter. Think of it as deeply humanitarian
>> generosity.
> Even if that were possible, who are you asking to do this? Whose time
> is going to be put into finessing every point release to make sure
> it's still buildable on Windows?

I was careful to not ask anyone to do anything. "If I was asked ..."

Making sure something is buildable when it involves compiling on Windows 
is well beyond my pay-grade nowadays. I know just how hard it is. 
However, I would say (and I've said it before) Christoph Gohlke deserves 
a Nobel prize for his abovementioned deeply humanitarian generosity. 
Without him (and Mark Hammond) there would be very little Python dev 
done on Windows - if any!

The only reason I took up Python (after being burned by proprietary tool 
makers) was because it was promised to run on pretty much everything. 
Especially Apache platforms - which also run on Windows.

> "LTS" doesn't mean anything since
> basically EVERY version of Python is in an LTS of Red Hat (they're
> probably still shipping Python 2.3 somewhere).
>
>> Honestly, if you let it, Windows just absolutely knows what you really
>> meant despite what you tell it. It is a necessary evil when your clients
>> use it.
> If your clients use it,

They don't use Python. They use Windows and I need to use Windows to be 
able to support them in what they do. I install Apache on Windows if I 
need to.

It would be handy if Microsoft delivered Windows with Python installed 
but what can you expect from them if they can't see demand for it.


>   are you going to pay someone to build your
> installers? And if you aren't going to pay, who is?

I agree with your sentiment. But without specific funding I can't afford 
to pay anyone. I'll choose different solutions. But if I needed it badly 
enough I'd find the brainspace and do it myself.

> Find someone who'd be willing to maintain Windows binaries for you,
> and see what they'd charge you for that. Then judge that against the
> cost of dropping support for Python 3.6 and requiring your users to
> upgrade to a fully-supported version.

Chris, you are preaching to the converted. You won't get a 
counter-argument from me. I piped up in the first place because I saw 
the OP in trouble and felt it was necessary to say something. I thought 
my scenario might be interesting. As I said earlier it isn't critical 
for me.

There are lot of Python people working on Windows and they do so because 
they have no choice. Windows is simply the dominant platform. That's 
where most clients live.

All I'm saying (now) is I really hope PSF is supporting Christoph and 
Mark because they make it possible to use Python on Windows.

Cheers

Mike

>
> ChrisA