More details about the state of wheels in 2013

Author: jaimergp

community/history.md

@@ -8,10 +8,11 @@ conda-forge's origins cannot be explained without understanding the context of P
 
 Python 2.x was the norm. To install it, you'd get the official installers from Python.org, stick to the system provided one in Linux, or resort to options like Python(x,y) [^pythonxy], ActiveState ActivePython [^activepython] or Enthought's distributions [^enthought] in macOS and Windows [^legacy-python-downloads].
 
-If you wanted to install additional packages, you would find that the community was transitioning from `easy_install` to `pip`, and there wouldn't be an alternative for Python eggs [^eggs] until 2013, when wheels are formalized [^wheels].
-Realistically, you would have to wait until 2016, when `manylinux` wheels were introduced. For Windows, 
+If you wanted to install additional packages, you would find that the community was transitioning from `easy_install` to `pip`, and there was no easy way to ship or install pre-compiled Python packages. There wouldn't be an alternative for Python eggs [^eggs] until 2013, when wheels are formalized [^wheels]. These were useful for Windows, where Christoph Gohlke's wheels [^cgohlke]<sup>,</sup>[^cgohlke-shutdown] were your only choice.
 
-Before then, there was no easy way to ship pre-compiled Python packages: you would need to compile from source. If you were on Windows, Christoph Gohlke's wheels [^cgohlke]<sup>,</sup>[^cgohlke-shutdown] were your only choice.
+However, for Linux, you would have to wait until 2016, when `manylinux` wheels were introduced. Before then PyPI wouldn't even allow compiled Linux wheels and your only alternative was to compile every package from source.
+
+As an example, take a look at the [PyPI download page for `numpy` 1.7.0](https://pypi.org/project/numpy/1.7.0/#files), released in Feb 2013. The build distributions section only shows a few `.exe` files for Windows (!), and some `manylinux1` wheels. But if you pay attention, the `manylinux1` wheels were not uploaded until Apr 2016. No mention whatsoever of macOS. Now compare it to [`numpy` 1.11.0](https://pypi.org/project/numpy/1.11.0/#files), released in March 2016: wheels for all platforms!
 
 ## The origins of `conda`
 
@@ -38,7 +39,6 @@ In 2014, Filipe Fernandes ([@ocefpaf](https://github.com/ocefpaf)) and Phil Elso
 
 Given the success of the `ContinuumIO/conda-recipes` repository, it was obvious there was a demand for high quality conda recipes and more efficient collaboration under a single umbrella. On April 11th, 2015, `conda-forge` is registered as a Github organization [^github-api-conda-forge] and an Anaconda.org channel [^binstar-conda-forge].
 
-
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 ## References