[Tutor] Python and the web

[Alan Gauld]

"michael scott" <jigenbakuda at yahoo.com> wrote 
>I want to start getting into web site development. I already 
> know basic html and css, which will create a basic webpage. 
> But my question is what exactly does python bring to the web?

Action.

Your HTML/CSS web page cannot do anything it is just static 
information. Using JavaScript you can make the brower do a 
few things like pop up dialog boxes and so on but thats about it.

You use Python at the web server end to generate html pages 
and those pages will be based on dynamic things like 
database content or information retrieved from other web 
pages. So, for example of the lead news story in the 
NY Times is about events in Mexico, your web page 
might display the Mexican flag as an Icon, but if the 
headline is about Greece it shows the Greek flag, 
- and if its about a Hollywood starlet it shows a 
yawning dog...

You need a dynamic programming language to do the lookup 
and then draw the right image on the page.

Thats a simple example, but of course you can do much 
more sophisticated things too - like create a web shop 
like Amazon, or an Auction site like eBay or a search 
engine like google..

> Are forums, blogs, flash sites, etc the results of 
> web programming or can they all be achieved with 
> standard html / css? 

They all need programming althoufgh some of them can 
be downloaded or bought as packages where the 
programming has been  done for you.

HTH,

-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/