[Tutor] Strange Question

[Alan Gauld]

> and frameworks.  (Caveat: I do have my doubts about Java + J2EE 
> because that environment seems too focused on low-level details...)

I hate Java as a language but I've been getting more involved
with it as a Web tool and JSP/Struts is actually quite a powerful
web development environment. Certainly Java could handle this
task, but I'd never recommend it for a beginner as a first project.
Whereas with Python (or Ruby) its fine.

> The particular kind of control flow you're describing --- a 
> multistage web application --- is actually not too fun to do from 
> scratch.

Personally I probably would build this directly using simple CGI.
There are very few web pages and actions I personally think a
vanilla CGI app is easier than one of the richer frameworks.

> shoulders.  For example, I've heard very good things about 
> Turbogears and Django for web development:

These are great if you are building more complex web environments
and want re-use, consistency of processing etc. And if the OP thinks
he may be building a whole suite of these type appliications then
they would be worth investigating. But if it's always going to be
a simple uopload, process, email, site then CGI will be prettty easy.

And when its the first time you do something its always 'fun'...its
when you do it the second and third time that the fun wears off.
Finally I think everyone should buiold at least one vanilla CGI app
just so they understand what is really going on under all
those framework classes etc...

>     http://www.turbogears.org/

> I have to admit that I have not used either of them yet, but if I 
> starting

I'ver been playing with TurboGears - and an interesting contrast to
the Java/Struts stuff! I'd definitely use TurboGears for any personal
web server stuff, provided I could find a web server/ISP which could
run it! But for large scale stuff I'd stick to struts. Possible using
Jython instead of Java - but I haven't tried that yet...

Alan g.