MySQLdb on Windows

Question

I'm trying to run the simple django tutorial on my windows 7 machine after having just read the python tutorial. But it complains, "django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: Error loading MySQLdb module: No module named MySQLdb".

So I find out that I need a module called MySQLdb. However, very surprisingly, this is difficult to install on windows. I need a C compiler among other things and the README states, "I don't do Windows... Don't ask me for help with Windows because I can't help you." After some googling I find this site which has binaries for old versions (2.5 and 2.6) of python, but no binaries for python 2.7.

This makes me think python was not such a good choice for an easy script/web platform... I can't imagine RoR is anything but easy for a hello world with mysql...

So what should I do? Downgrade Python to an older version to use one of the above prebuilt binaries? Install a c compiler among other things to try and build MySQLdb? Realize that python just doesn't work easily on windows and only use this on a mac/linux machine?

Answer 1

yes, there is no binaries yet for python2.7 because 2.7 has just released 2 days ago, on 4 July 2010. and the binaries will soon be updated just calm down.

you can do your tutorials on django by using SQLite3 as DB backend (the Driver installed by default and it's file-based DB and the django developers like to use it as an development DB backend. and remember, Django Model framework is DBMS independent.

just open your settings.py and replace mysql by sqlite3 and do manage.py syndb again and your happy. :)