cygwin and python just don't work?

Question

I've tried using the current version of cygwin python, but attempting to use pip or easy_install results in an error message about being unable to load DLLs (I won't reproduce it here because I removed that version of python).

I've tried compiling python under cygwin, but that ends with this error:

collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

Python build finished, but the necessary bits to build these modules were not fo
und:
_bsddb             _curses            _curses_panel
_sqlite3           _ssl               _tkinter
bsddb185           bz2                gdbm
linuxaudiodev      nis                ossaudiodev
readline           spwd               sunaudiodev
zlib
To find the necessary bits, look in setup.py in detect_modules() for the module'
s name.


Failed to build these modules:
_io

running build_scripts

What is the recommended way of having a working python installation under cygwin on Windows 7?

Answer 1

What is the recommended way of having a working python installation under cygwin on Windows 7?

I've used easy_install with Cygwin Python without a problem on Windows 7 64-bit, so perhaps the Cygwin port has improved in the 1.5 years since this question was originally asked. I've also used the Windows installation of Python from Cygwin (with a healthy dose of cygpath() ); this can be a pain but it may be easier than porting each version of Python to work with Cygwin yourself, and it allows you to use one Python for Windows and Cygwin invocations.

I'd recommend that anyone reading this question today who wants to use Python with Cygwin try the Cygwin packages for Python first, and fall back to Windows Python only if required. easy_install is part of setuptools and requires manual installation outside of the Cygwin package manager, but it does everything I've asked it to without a problem. I've not used pip on Cygwin. It does seem like all non-Cygwin package/module managers (e.g., cpan) sometimes result in the need for occasional manual executions of "rebaseall" on Windows 7, but I'd say it is still easier than using the Window Python + cygpath workaround.