[Biopython-dev] Windows buildslave back online

[Tiago Antão]

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 5:50 PM, Peter Cock <p.j.a.cock at googlemail.com> wrote:

> P.S. If anyone has some suitable networked machines that could
> be left on as buildslaves, we'd like more - especially a 64 bit
> Windows box (which will be an interesting challenge to get Python,
> NumPy and Biopython compiling and running nicely in the first place).
> See also http://www.biopython.org/wiki/Continuous_integration

I tried compiling a 64 bit version. It is a bit of hell.

1. There is a 64 bit windows version of python and numpy. So far so good
2. Python does not support mingw64. One needs to tweak the python-dev
include files (there are several bugs/requests related to this)
3. Visual Studio express does not generate 64 bit binaries, just the
pro version can do this (but see below)
4. distutils does not support recent versions of VS (i.e. not version
10, only version 9). It can work, but it requires tweaking the
distutils source code.

So: no joy unless with either (i) tweaking the python compiler source
code for mingw OR (i) having the pro version of VS (which I do not
have - and is what Christoph Gohlke seems to be doing) OR ...

There is way to generate a 64 bit version with VS Express + the MS SDK
(all free), but it will require minor changes to setup.py (because of
point 4 above). I am now able to compile biopython fully 64 bit with
free (as in beer) tools. I just now have to streamline the process..
To sum it up it requires:
VS Express + MS SDK + minor changes to setup.py (subclassing distutils
for VS 2010 Express + MS SDK)

Going to bed now, its late around were,
F#!$#!!! Windows!
Tiago