windows build comments with winbuild repository link

jbmohler · jbmohler · commit ca0cc6218391 · 2014-08-22T16:00:52.000-04:00
diff --git a/INSTALL b/INSTALL
@@ -217,9 +217,11 @@ Build requirements
 
 These are external packages which you will need to install before
 installing matplotlib.  If you are building on OSX, see
-:ref:`build_osx`. If you are installing dependencies with a package
-manager on Linux, you may need to install the development packages
-(look for a "-dev" postfix) in addition to the libraries themselves.
+:ref:`build_osx`. If you are building on Windows, see
+:ref:`build_windows`. If you are installing dependencies with a
+package manager on Linux, you may need to install the development
+packages (look for a "-dev" postfix) in addition to the libraries
+themselves.
 
 .. note::
 
@@ -263,9 +265,7 @@ six 1.3 or later
 libpng 1.2 (or later)
     library for loading and saving :term:`PNG` files (`download
     <http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/libpng.html>`__). libpng requires
-    zlib. If you are a Windows user, you can ignore this because we
-    build support into the matplotlib single-click installer
-
+    zlib.
 
 **Optional GUI frameworks**
 
@@ -299,15 +299,12 @@ ImageMagick
 
 **Optional dependencies**
 
-`Pillow http://python-imaging.github.io/`__
+`Pillow <http://python-imaging.github.io/>`__
     If Pillow is installed, matplotlib can read and write a larger
     selection of image file formats.
 
-
 :term:`freetype` 1.4 (or later)
-    library for reading true type font files. If you are a windows
-    user, you can ignore this since we build support into the
-    matplotlib single click installer.
+    library for reading true type font files.
 
 **Required libraries that ship with matplotlib**
 
@@ -337,3 +334,20 @@ can get the libpng and freetype requirements (darwinports, fink,
 the different OSX version (e.g., 10.4 and 10.5). We recommend that you build
 the way we do for the OSX release: get the source from the tarball or the
 git repository and follow the instruction in :file:`README.osx`.
+
+.. _build_windows:
+
+Building on Windows
+======================
+
+The Python shipped from http://www.python.org is compiled with Visual Studio
+2008 for versions before 3.3 and Visual Studio 2010 for 3.3 and later.  Python
+extensions are recommended to be compiled with the same compiler.  The
+matplotlib :file:`setup.py` looks for the correct version via distutils.  The .NET
+Framework 4.0 is required for MSBuild, but you likely already have it.  In
+addition to Visual Studio, `CMake <http://www.cmake.org>`_ is required for
+building libpng.
+
+Since there is no canonical Windows package manager the build methods for
+freetype, zlib, libpng, tcl, & tk source code are documented as a build script
+at https://github.com/jbmohler/matplotlib-winbuild .
diff --git a/doc/faq/installing_faq.rst b/doc/faq/installing_faq.rst
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ line script to the appropriate places.
 .. note::
    Mac OSX users please see the :ref:`build_osx` guide.
 
+   Windows users please see the :ref:`build_windows` guide.
+
 Then, if you want to update your matplotlib at any time, just do::
 
   > git pull
