How do *you* use Python in non-GUI work?

[sturlamolden]

On May 19, 12:20 am, John Salerno <johnj... at NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote:

> Hey all. Just thought I'd ask a general question for my own interest. Every time I think of something I might do in Python, it usually involves creating a GUI interface, so I was wondering what kind of work you all do with Python that does *not* involve any GUI work. This could be any little scripts you write for your own benefit, or what you do at work, if you feel like talking about that! :)


Back in the 'old days' of Unix, programs tended not to be small, could
only do one thing, and did it well. They had  no gui, and all
interaction came from command line options. The programs were invoked
from the command line, and input and output were piped from one
program to another (input on stdin, output on stdout).

Today, it is expected that programs should have a GUI. The majority do
not even know how to use a program that does not have one. As a
result, programs have become poorer at interacting with other, and
become bloated and grown monolithic. Today's programs are monolithic
beasts spanning tens or hundreds of megabytes, where the bulk of the
code duplicates functionality found in every other program.

I prefer that a program has no GUI if it does not need user
interaction beyond what can be easily accomplished from the command
line. Sometimes I think gui becomes overwhelming, and obfuscates the
real functionality in the program. When I write program's for others
people, a GUI is usually expected. But when I get requests for adding
new functionality to such a program, it tends to be for unimportant
GUI stuff rather than real functionality to the program.

To answer your question: I only add GUIs when I have to. But because
it seems that people are becoming computer illiterate, incapable of
using a keyboard, and only comfortable with a certain point-and-click
input device, it tends to be most of the time now.