Which Python to use on Windows for Numpy and friends?

EDIT 2017-11-4: At this point in time Anaconda seems by far to be the best option. It is multi-platform, doesn't require admin/root permission, and it allows you to install multiple python versions in parallel.

Original post

The easiest way to install all the python libraries necessary for scientific computing is to install either Python(x,y) or Enthought Python Distribution (EPD). Both offer a fairly similar set of packages (including numexpr and mayavi2), so it's probably just a matter of personal preference. I prefer Python(x,y) because it is fully open source, whereas EPD is a commercial product with a free edition. You can compare the included packages for EPD and Python(x,y).

Both these options are much better than using the standard python (or ActiveState) then manually installing all the required scientific packages. Both should work well with code transported from Linux. It's worth mentioning that EPD also has a Linux version, so if you need all packages and versions to be absolutely identical between Windows and Linux setups, this might be the way to go.

Edit:The win32-superpack is a good option if you just want a few basic scientific packages, but if you want more complex things like mayavi, you'd need to install them yourself.

Edit 2013-05-03:

There are now a couple of other options which are also worth considering: winpython and anaconda

The question is old, but the answer nowadays to this question will always be Anaconda, so I thought I provide you a link to it.

Not only for scientfic purposes - it has all the libraries and tools for this, installed - but its also the best python distribution in general:https://www.anaconda.com/download/

I have used the win32-superpack from the official SciPy distribution. It includes Python, NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, etc. and everything works out of the box.

Maybe I should also comment on the packages on your list:

• The standard Python distribution from Python.org does not include SciPy, as far as I know.
• The Enthought distribution is installed on some of the computer clusters that I am using. It is linked against the Intel MKL and could be faster for linear algebra than the SciPy one. But it is a commercial package. Python programs developed with the SciPy distribution should, however, run without problems under Enthought, too.
• I don't know anything about the other two distributions.