I'm going to echo Chris Angelo's suggestion #2 to use a python distribution. This page <https://www.continuum.io/downloads> has the links to download Anaconda. It is free and if you need to download libraries which require compiled external code like numpy you can just run `conda install numpy`.
On Mon, Mar 7, 2016 at 1:47 PM, Chris Angelico <ros...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 5:51 AM, Jon Ribbens > <jon+use...@unequivocal.co.uk> wrote: > > I must say that Python on Windows was a very poor experience indeed, > > "virtualenv" does not work and "venv" refuses to create the 'activate' > > shell script so does not work either (and pygame doesn't work, but > > that's presumably not Python's fault). > > To be quite frank, Python on Windows has had a *lot* of problems, and > most of them have been the fault of Windows. Starting with Python 3.5, > there've been some big packaging changes that ought to make Windows > Python a bit easier to use; however, there've been some teething > troubles, and there are still some ways in which setting up a > properly-working Python is a pain. > > So you have a few choices: > > 1) Stick with the vanilla Python on the vanilla Windows. It's not > horrendous, but there will be rough edges. Report those rough edges, > and hopefully they can be fixed in time for 3.6 (or even 3.5.2). > > 2) Use a different Python distribution, eg Anaconda or ActiveState. > Some of them cost money; when you pay money for open source software, > what you're getting is a level of support, which will mean you can > complain to them when something doesn't work, and insist that they fix > it. This may or may not give you better results than option 1. > > 3) Use standard Python, and ditch Windows. This is what I do. :) > > 4) Keep using Windows, but do your Python work in a virtual machine. > Either full-on virtualization software like VirtualBox or VMWare, or > something that gives you a web browser interface to a VM hosted in the > cloud (eg Cloud 9 or Nitrous). > > Personally, I don't see any reason to run "real Windows" on any of my > systems. Windows programs get run under Wine or VirtualBox, never > directly on the hardware. But if your needs are different, there are > plenty of ways to improve your Windows+Python setup; just be patient, > and accept that you might have a bit of extra work to do. > > ChrisA > -- > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list > -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
