[MATRIX-SIG] compiling NumPy for Windows

[Konrad Hinsen]

> As far as easy windows installation, I do believe that the right solution
> there is to ship binaries -- the WISE installer makes for a very simple
> package to install from the user's perspective, and a lot of users
> shouldn't need to own the compiler suite.

For widely used packages this is obviously the best solution. For more
specialized and/or  frequently changing ones it is a bit unpractical,
especially if the author does not use Windows.

It would be nice if it were possible to distribute a single source
package for all operating systems that could be compiled and installed
by anyone with the necessary tools (compiler etc.) *automatically*,
i.e. with no manual intervention. For Unix this is already reality
(via Misc/Makefile.pre.in and a Setup file). For Windows we seem to be
far away from such a situation, if it is at all doable.

> Here's a challenge:  Write a PythonCOM program which when sent a .tar.gz
> file via the web, opens DevStudio, creates a workspace, a package, adds
> all the appropriate files, runs a compile, opens WISE, creates an
> installer, compiles it, and ships back to the person who provided the
> .tar.gz a simple executable.  Or maybe not. =)

Except for the "shipping back" part, this looks like what I just
described for some particular compiler. Is that really such a big
problem?

Another question: is it necessary to consider more than one compiler
for the Windows platform? With several different compilers, it would
already be a problem to provide installation instructions for
everyone.
-- 
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Konrad Hinsen                          | E-Mail: hinsen@ibs.ibs.fr
Laboratoire de Dynamique Moleculaire   | Tel.: +33-4.76.88.99.28
Institut de Biologie Structurale       | Fax:  +33-4.76.88.54.94
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