[IPython-dev] question about decision to use twisted

[Brian Granger]

> I have a data acquisition and analysis project that currently uses Parallel
> Python for distributed processing and PyQt4's for some threading and event
> handling. I am concidering the processing module scheduled for inclusion in
> the python standard library starting with version 2.6, and also I am trying
> to get my head around twisted.

Twisted is a much lower level solution than parallel python or
processing.  Are you thinking about using Twisted directly or just
using it through IPython (ipython1 is not in trunk IPython).  Unless
you really want the treading API that processing provides, I think
IPython is by far the best solution [I fully acknowledge my bias here]
for high-level parallelism.

> I would like to know what the ipython developers concerns were at the time the
> decision was made to use twisted in ipython1, was there some discussion on
> the ipython mailing lists? Any advice or comments would be greatly
> appreciated.

I don't think we really discussed this on the mailing list, it was
probably private discussion between Fernando and myself.  We went with
Twisted as:

1) we didn't want to reinvent Twisted

2) we really need what Twisted provides, so the temptation to reinvent
it was great.

3) Twisted has the right abstractions that force you to write correct
an robust networking code.  Of course you can do this without Twisted,
but you are going to work much harder and probably get it wrong in
subtle ways that are hard to figure out.

We have been extremely happy about going with Twisted - it is our secret sauce.

Are there any specific questions you have about Twisted?

Cheers,

Brian

> Darren
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