What is the difference between ActivePython and Python?

python activepython
vj85 picture vj85 · Jan 19, 2011 · Viewed 22k times · Source

I am new to Python. I am supposed to launch an application and perform some tasks on the application from Python.

I found Python from python.org and ActivePython from activestate.com.

What is the difference between them? Which should I install?

Answer

Senthil Kumaran picture Senthil Kumaran · Jan 19, 2011

ActiveState is an open source company which bundles Python with some additional packages and makes it available for variety of platforms. Sometimes they support platforms which the standard Python distrubution does not. For example AIX comes to my mind.

Many beginners to python on Windows have this doubt when they start with Python. ActiveState provides a bundle of Python executable with Python Windows Extensions and PEPS and Dive into Python ebook as package, so that you will have a good solution.

Technically there is not any difference between Python from activestate.com and from python.org if it available for download for your platform.

And yes, you can install Python 2.7.1 as it is latest supported version in 2.x series.

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