Earlier I mentioned a bunch of libraries that I typically add to a new Python installation I create. This can get laborious though, having to install each package individually.
There are a couple of Python “distros”, for lack of a better term, that bundle up a lot of useful modules, especially for scientific computing, with a specific Python interpreter. I’ve long known of the Enthought Python Distribution (EPD), which is a mega-collection of Python libraries. Python(x,y) is a recent (to me) addition which seems to be a little more focused on providing a full-fledged development environment.
While EPD has the advantage of a MacOS X build, Python(x,y) has clearer licensing. I can’t tell if the “free for hobbyist” spirit is still in effect for EPD, but Python(x,y) is clearly GPL.