[meta-sig] Another try at a Python Web SIG?

[Guido van Rossum]

> I know this was just discussed a few months ago, but I'm very
> interested in getting a Web SIG together or reinvigorated or whatever
> it takes.  The current Web support in Python is somewhat embarassingly
> patchy, given the neatness of the rest of the system.

Right.  I just had to pick an app server technology for a small
project here, and found it surprisingly hard to figure out what's out
there.

> My specific thinking is about three things:
> 
> 1)  Add SSL server-side support to the "socket" module.  This will
>     include some way of managing certificates.  Probably modelled
>     strongly after the way we did it in ILU, if I do it :-).

Cool -- this is another thing that I could use in my new job.  I think
there's a 3rd party package that does this, though.  (Can't remember
the name right now.)  But we ought to have more complete OpenSSL
wrapeprs in the standard library.

> 2)  Update the "httplib" module to include all of the client-side
>     functionality available in the Linux "curl" program (a reasonable
>     checklist, I think, but am open to better suggestions).

I don't know curl and have no big needs in this area, but httplib
certainly shows its age, despite having been rewritten once already.

> 3)  Replace/extend the BaseHTTPServer and SimpleHTTPServer modules with
>     an extended webserver module which provides at least the
>     functionality in Medusa.

Good idea.  I think there may be some useful stuff in Zope that we
might be able to incorporate.

> I'd be happy to work in #1 (starting with a PEP, I think) and provide
> help with #2 and #3, if others would like to pitch in.  I don't want
> to collide with others who are working on this already, and think a
> SIG would be a good way to coordinate efforts.

If you want to coordinate the SIG, I'll join as an observer.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)