Anybody use web2py?

[mdipierro]

On Dec 19, 12:42 am, AppRe Godeck <a... at godeck.com> wrote:
> Just curious if anybody prefers web2py over django, and visa versa. I
> know it's been discussed on a flame war level a lot. I am looking for a
> more intellectual reasoning behind using one or the other.

Of course I am the most biased person in the world on this topic but
perhaps you want to hear my bias.

A little bit of history... I thought a Django course at DePaul
University and built a CMS for the United Nations in Django. I loved
it. Then I also learned RoR. I found RoR more intuitive and better for
rapid prototyping. I found Django much faster and more solid. I
decided to build a proof of concept system that was somewhat in
between Django and Rails with focus on 3 features: 1) easy to start
with (no installation, no configuration, web based IDE, web based
testing, debugging, and database interface); 2) enforce good practice
(MVC, postbacks); 3) secure (escape all output, talk to database via
DAL to present injections, server-side cookies with uuid session keys,
role based access control with pluggable login methods, regex
validation for all input including URLs).

Originally it was a proof of concept, mostly suitable for teaching.
Then lots of people helped to make it better and turn it into a
production system. Now he had more than 50 contributors and a more
than 20 companies that provide support.

There are some distinctive features of web2py vs Django. Some love
them, some hate hate them (mostly people who did not try them):

- We promise backward compatibility. I do not accept patches that
break it. It has been backward compatible for three years and I will
enforce the copyright, if necessary, in order to ensure it for the
future.

- In web2py models and controllers are not modules. They are not
imported. They are executed. This means you do not need to import
basic web2py symbols. They are already defined in the environment that
executes the models and controllers (like in Rails). This also means
you do not need to restart the web server when you edit your app. You
can import additional modules and you can define modules if you like.

- You have a web based IDE with editor, some conflict resolution,
Mercurial integration, ticketing system, web-based testing and
debugging.

- The Database Abstraction Layer (DAL) is closed to SQL than Dango ORM
is. This means it does less for you (in particular about many 2 many)
but it is more flaxible when it comes to complex joins, aggregates and
nested selects.

- The DAL supports out of the box SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL,
Oracle, FireBird, FireBase, DB2, Informix, Ingres, and the Google App
Engine (except for joins and multi-entity transactions). We plan
support for Sybase and MongoDB within one month.

- The DAL supports transactions. It means it will create and/or ALTER
tables for you as your model changes. This can be disabled.

- The DAL has partial support for some legacy databases that do not
have an 'id' auto increment primary key.

- It has a plugin and a component systems (here is an old video:
http://www.vimeo.com/7182692 the video says "experimental" but this is
now stable in trunk, although not very well documented).

- both systems have a web based database interface (Django calls it
"admin", web2py calls it "appadmin, not to be confused with web2py
"admin", the IDE). The Django one is more polished, customizable and
designed to be exposed to users. The web2py one is raw and designed
for the administrator. It is not customizable. Because it is designed
for the administrator and requires administrator login it allows
arbitrary DAL code to be executed. It can be disabled.

Here is the last app I built with it: http://www.vimeo.com/7182692
running on GAE here: http://www.vimeo.com/7182692


Here http://www.vimeo.com/6507384 you can see a video in which I
rewrite the Django polls tutorial in web2py. You will get an idea of
some of the differences.

Anyway, I think both system are great. Spend 15 minutes (no more) with
each to make up your mind, and stick with it.

Massimo