You don't want to bounce offline all users currently using the IMAP and IRC servers every time you make a small change to a web page.
If you're doing development on the live server the users are using, bouncing them off every now and then is a good way to let them know they are morons for using such a sketchy server.
Agreed, users deserve to be kicked real hard once in a while, and application updates are a socially accepted moment in that. Very much in the same way that moving a chair or changing a lightbulb is reason enough for kicking everyone out of the building. ...
The rebuild() solution mentioned by Christopher Armstrong mostly takes care of that.
The rebuild() solution will probably consume most of the start-up time.
You don't have to rebuild all, just the part that has changed, which is the presentation layer, most of the time. You're missing the point. Even live servers sometimes have bugs that need to fixed *fast*, and customers love you if you can roll in change requests quickly without bringing down everything.
On-the-fly reloading can be hell, but the ubiquitous "server reboot" is what I *really* disgusted in most J2EE implementations. I really hope twisted is not going to enforce this.
Twisted is not about enforcement. Twisted is about mocking people who are using the technology in non-optimal ways.
It is good to be sceptical of people their coding practices. But the 'one true way' is still to be found. Wladimir