Web Application Server in Python: which one to choose ?

[Jacob Smullyan]

I am not unbiased, as I'm one of the developers of SkunkWeb; and I'm not
very familiar with Quixote or TwistedPython, so I can't say anything about
them.

However, my two bits are that if you want to do web development in Python
because you want to benefit from the advantages of the Python language,
Zope, despite its many merits, is probably not going to please you, at least
immediately.  Zope is a remarkable, far-seeing product, and I'm not trying
to knock it by saying this, but transparently exposing the virtues of Python 
to the web developer does not appear to be or have been its principal aim; 
to work with Zope, I believe one must think more in terms of the Zope 
application layer than in terms of Python per se, and one had better like 
that layer a whole lot.

Naturally, this has something to do with the many original and powerful
things that Zope can do; if you aren't stuck on the idea of doing those
things, however, but have you own little ideas you want to realize without
undergoing a painful process of reconciling them with an alien paradigm, 
then I suggest taking a look at Webware and SkunkWeb (not necessarily in
that order :)!); both are powerful and extensible, both give the web
developer an environment to work in that, to my taste, is more Pythonic and
less introverted. 

I want to look more at Webware.  For one, I am impressed that, when SkunkWeb
was released recently, the communications from Webware developers and
users to us SkunkWeb folk was extremely collegial and respectful, with some
discussion of how both groups could benefit from each others' work.  I
wouldn't expect every development team to be so high-minded, and I applaud
it.  I do hope that there will be some cross-fertilization, and such
competition as improves the quality of both efforts.

I won't go over the SkunkWeb propaganda here; you can read the FAQ and make
up your own mind.  I do find the SkunkWeb component model perhaps the most
Pythonic/"fits your brain" design around; I think it is brilliant in its
versatility and almost insulting simplicity.  (I'm not being arrogant here,
because I had nothing to do with its invention.)  SkunkWeb is a
"less-is-more" application; you get a rather small toolkit with which you
can be productive almost instantly and you quickly discover that you can do 
a hell of a lot with it.  

Yours,

Jacob Smullyan | smulloni at smullyan.org



On Mon, 03 Sep 2001 13:09:45 +0200, 
Weet Vanniks <Weet.Vanniks at el_simpatico.be> wrote:
>The subject title says it all or almost ...
>There seems to exist a great offering:
>Zope, Bobo, Webware,SkunkWeb, Quixote,Twisted, etc...
>This makes my choice very difficult. Can I get an unbiased opinion about
>the merits of each of these solutions. I've been told that Zope is
>complex and that Webware is great. Could you confirm ?
>Thanks for helping me out.
>
>Weet
>


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