[Tutor] How to get smooth, terminal-like interaction over the web

[tchomby]

I have an idea for a python program I want to write. I want to make this 
program accessible over the web for people to play with. And that's where I'm 
stuck -- I don't know what module, framework, protocol, or whatever to use to 
webify it.

It's a simple text-based program, the interaction would work perfectly in a 
terminal with the computer printing out lines of text to the user, and the user 
typing in lines of text and pressing return, and this is the kind of 
interaction I want to enable on a web page.

Can anyone point me in the direction I should be looking, if I want to 
implement this kind of interaction over the net using python? I'm aware of CGI 
and HTML forms and the python modules for it, but I think that would require 
the entire page to be reloaded every time there's an input or output. So am I 
looking at ajax, javascript, etc.? I'm a little bit lost, not knowing what's 
available out there.

I'm looking for simplicity and ease of use for a python programmer.