SPYCE - Python Server Pages

On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 16:25:26 -0700, "Conan C. Albrecht"
<conan@...> said:
> My question is: what the best language and web framework is the best  
> one for this circumstance?  Here's a few options that I've thought of:
> 
> A. Go purely python with Spyce as the web framework.  This provides  
> the best I know this option the best and like it the best.  However,  
> an Indian firm will develop it, maintain it, and it needs to  
> integrate into the WB systems.  I'm worried that pure Python might  
> not fit well.  Can I sell it here?  Should I sell it?
> 
> B. Go purely python with some other web framework like CherryPy,  
> Zope, etc.  (Zope is personally not an option for me, though :).   
> Same disadvantages as A, but perhaps another web framework is more  
> "popular" and might get better buy in?

IMO you should be able to sell Python.  "It's good enough for Google." 
(Google Groups, for instance, is a Python app.)

Django and TurboGears are the most high-profile Python frameworks right
now.  TG has a book out (http://turbogearsbook.com/), and django will
have one out early next year (http://www.djangobook.com/en/beta/).  Both
have tutorials scheduled for PyCon in February
(http://us.pycon.org/TX2007/Tutorials).  Of these "safe" choices I
prefer TG.  

Dunno how Spyce would go over -- I could see either "what the hell, if
we're doing something new we might as well try Spyce" or "Oh no I'm
scared of Python let's be as safe as possible given that I'm barely
convinced to try it" as reactions.  Probably the latter with a big
company. :)

-Jonathan
-- 
C++ is history repeated as tragedy. Java is history repeated as farce.  --Scott McKay

On Dec 2, 2006, at 6:25 PM, Conan C. Albrecht wrote:

> Spyce people -- I have been one of the big proponents of Spyce over 
> the years.  I've contributed to the source code at times.  So don't 
> take this email wrong -- I'm trying to make a good business decision, 
> not just a technical decision.

Hi Conan,
Here's my $.02. It's accurately priced, I think. ;)

> A. Go purely python with Spyce as the web framework.  This provides 
> the best I know this option the best and like it the best.  However, 
> an Indian firm will develop it, maintain it, and it needs to integrate 
> into the WB systems.  I'm worried that pure Python might not fit well. 
>  Can I sell it here?  Should I sell it?

How much do you trust the competency of the firm that's implementing 
what you design? If you think they're sharp, then they should be able 
to pick up Python & Spyce (I assume they're currently unfamiliar with 
them) without it being too painful. But if you have doubts about their 
skill, then asking them to work in an environment with which they're 
unfamiliar is asking for trouble.

> B. Go purely python with some other web framework like CherryPy, Zope, 
> etc.  (Zope is personally not an option for me, though :).  Same 
> disadvantages as A, but perhaps another web framework is more 
> "popular" and might get better buy in?

That's politically astute but I hate when politics drive decisions that 
should be made on their technological merits. It'd be a shame if you 
had to go with a technically inferior solution in order to assuage 
someone's fears.

> D. Go some other language (PHP, .Net, etc.) and run the Picalo python 
> code by shelling a new process or through a pipe or something.  I'm 
> not a big fan of this, but it is possible to do.

IMHO if the Picalo libs are in Python and the rest of the system uses a 
different language then the implementers and maintainers will probably 
never familiarize themselves with the Picalo libs. They'll become a 
black box, and if that's the case you may as well go with option E.

> E. Get rid of the Picalo Python libraries so I can go entirely with 
> another language and solution.  This isn't desirable, but possible if 
> it's the best option.

I hope you can go the pure Python/Spyce route. When I started my 
existing project I was more familiar with PHP than Spyce but I knew a 
lot of my core code would be written in Python and I find it confusing 
to move back and forth between languages. I'm glad I made the decision; 
Spyce has treated me well and I don't have to shift mental gears when 
moving from one section of code to another.

GOod luck
Philip