Download Visual Studio Express 2008 now

[Paul Rudin]

Microsoft has just released Visual Studio 2010, along with its free (of
charge) Express edition. Following a tradition, they are likely to
withdraw support and availability for VS 2008 Express some time in the
future.

Python 2.6, 2.7, and 3.1 are all built with that release (i.e. 2008).
Because of another long tradition, Python extension modules must be
built with the same compiler version (more specifically, CRT version) as
Python itself. So to build extension modules for any of these releases,
you need to have a copy of VS 2008 or VS 2008 Express.

If you are planning to build Python extension modules in the next five
years, I recommend that you obtain a copy of VS Express, just in case
Microsoft removes it from their servers. As mentioned, it's free of
charge. When downloading it for later use, it's probably best to get the
offline ISO image release, available from

http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/#2008-All

Disclaimer: I'm not connected with Microsoft or its release process. Any
claim on future actions that Microsoft may take is purely hypothetical.

I'm curious to know exactly the differences between the c/c++ compilers
you get with various versions of VS and those you get with the (command
line only) Windows SDK (formerly called the platform SDK).

The windows sdk is a free download. Is the compiler you get the same as
the one you get with the full paid version of VS? This web page seems
to suggest it might be
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb980924.aspx>

 

[Martin v. Loewis]

I'm curious to know exactly the differences between the c/c++ compilers

you get with various versions of VS and those you get with the (command
line only) Windows SDK (formerly called the platform SDK).

The windows sdk is a free download. Is the compiler you get the same as
the one you get with the full paid version of VS? This web page seems
to suggest it might be
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb980924.aspx>

The primary "difference" is the CRT version that it ships with. Also,
one difference is whether it ships with a compiler at all. For a long
time, the SDK didn't include a compiler at all. Then, for several years,
it included an Itanium compiler and an AMD64 compiler, but no x86
compiler. Now it does, and I don't know what CRT version it links with
(at some point, the SDK would link with crtdll.dll, then msvcrt.dll,
but it's some other version now).

In any case, AFAIK, the SDK binaries will be linked with one specific
version of the CRT, which may or may not be the same as the one used in
one specific version of Visual Studio.

HTH,
Martin

 

[TerryP]

The primary "difference" is the CRT version that it ships with. Also,
one difference is whether it ships with a compiler at all. For a long
time, the SDK didn't include a compiler at all. Then, for several years,
 it included an Itanium compiler and an AMD64 compiler, but no x86
compiler. Now it does, and I don't know what CRT version it links with
(at some point, the SDK would link with crtdll.dll, then msvcrt.dll,
but it's some other version now).

In any case, AFAIK, the SDK binaries will be linked with one specific
version of the CRT, which may or may not be the same as the one used in
one specific version of Visual Studio.

HTH,
Martin

If one relies on the Express Editions, you're basically limited to the
X86 compiler and missing certain things (biggest gripe: profiling). I
believe that the Windows Driver Development Kit (DDK) has X86, AMD64,
and IA64 compilers included. Last time that I looked, it appeared to
be a build similar to Visual C++ 2008 but I didn't have enough spare
time to inspect it's license and general suitability for applications
development.

 

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

In message

Sure beats having to recompile a kernel to support 3rd party audio
drivers.

Which is a less fraught process than {B7C0D3A0-F949-44AD-ACE5-FB845B8C1EB7}
ing Registry edits, don’t you thin? You never know what
{46E68550-70E4-4CAE-9C69-5C73CE2893CA} it might be having on your machine,
to the point where you are no longer able to {362CAB02-8A1F-4337-
A441-8149848BD319} it.

 

[Philip Inglesant]

Hi Martyn,

Thanks for the good advice to download VS 2008 before M$ delete it from
their download servers.

Unfortunately they have already done this so many Python modules now
can't be compiled correctly on Windows!

Best regards,

Philip

 

[TP]

Hi Martyn,

Thanks for the good advice to download VS 2008 before M$ delete it from
their download servers.

Unfortunately they have already done this so many Python modules now can't
be compiled correctly on Windows!

Best regards,

Philip

Not true.

See

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15318560/visual-c-2008-express-download-link-dead
for still live link to VS2008 Express SP1 iso at

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...59B738298/VS2008ExpressWithSP1ENUX1504728.iso