get notepad on windows to front via tcp-server

[Roger]

I've got some MS-windows (XP only?) related questions; hopefully
someone can give me some advise.

1)
Is there some way to make notepad to become the front window when it
is started from within a tcp-server, using something like

os.system("notepad") or
os.system("start /w notepad")

Using these methods from a python shell works as expected, but using a
tcp-client/server construct gives me notepad in the rear.

I read an old thread from '98 about something very much related to
this, but it used tk which I don't want to. Besides, the thread ended
undecidedly.

2)
>From a python shell using
os.system("write") or
os.system("start /w write")
gives me an exit code (zero) before I have closed the application
wordpad. So os.system() is not waiting as I thought it should.
Can this be explained?

I have NOTEPAD.EXE in C:\windows and notepad.exe and write.exe in
C:\windows\system32.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.