[Webware-discuss] webware as general app server for web/xmlrpc/soap ?

[Randall S. <ra...@tn...>]

I am working on a project in which I have chosen to use xmlrpc.  As I 
set out to look for an app server, I wanted one that would allow code 
changes without restarting the process(es) and one that is 
non-blocking.  I considered building my own from the Python standard 
library, and I considered twisted.  I'm not comfortable with twisted's 
deffered solution for writing non-blocking code, and neither solution 
would let me easily manage the server and reload modules, etc.  I had 
used Webware before for building a website and thought it sure would be 
nice if Webware did XMLRPC.  And lo and behold, to my delight, it does!  
Multi-threaded, easily managed, dynamically realoading modules.  And 
written in pure Python.  So I'm happy.

So I ponder.  Why isn't Webware more aggressive as a general webservices 
app server.  Is there a SOAP implementation?  Would it be difficult to 
create one?  Probably not much more difficult to impement than xmprpc.  
It seems like such a natural fit.   Here are its advantages as I see them:

1. Decoupled from the webserver.  Apache does a great job of managing 
connections.  Why try to beat it?  Webware focuses on the application side.

2. Multi-threaded.  Although the global interpreter lock may prevent 
scaling on SMP machines (hence twisteds async), I've found the 
performance to be superb in my experience.  It is very responsive while 
handling simultaneous requests.

3. Manageable.  The web interface for managing the service is nice.  
Being able to reload modules with the server running means more uptime.  
Webware can also watch mtimes on the files to reload them when they are 
changed.

So what else do you want in an app server?  Is there a better app server 
that 'all the other' Pythoneers are using and I'm just missing?  If not, 
ring the bell!  Webware is such a simple and powerful framework for 
building web apps.  It lets me program in Python (unlike Zope) and 
doesn't force me to use a specialized abstracted framework, but provides 
easy access to the things I need (http request info).

So back to my question.  Is Webware intended to be a webservices 
(web/xmlrpc/soap) app server?  If not why?  I understand it is not like 
twisted, supporting every protocol under the sun.  It should not be.  I 
think it should stay with http based protocols.  But why not support 
them all?  If the glove fits.

Randall