More great news on the Python trunk. Thanks to the indefatigable Christian Heimes, you can now use Microsoft’s VS 2008 Express to build extensions. I built the standard Pyrex primes demo without a problem. This is A Good Thing for two reasons (at least). One: it gives us Windows types a chance who don’t have the resources or even the inclination to invest in the Visual Experience. Two: it demonstrates a vitality in the Windows side of the Python core development, even as IronPython itself gains ground in its own marketplace. (Was that a mixed metaphor? I’m not sure)