Wrestling with the Python

[zourtney]

Since starting my new adventures in employment, I have been working to modify the open-source Bookworm ebook reader. It is built on top of a content management framework called Django. It is written entirely in Python, of which I had never touched (except maybe for a week in some class at school, but I don't think so).

Anyway, it's interesting. But even after a couple of weeks, I'm still not totally on top of it.

[Nick]

Cool. Another programming language to get confused with while trying to do something in PHP or C How is python compared to other things?

And. Sounds like a fun-ish project, interesting at the very least. What are you modifying it to do, if I may ask?

[zourtney]

It's probably cool, though I can't explain it particularly well. And you can certainly ask! And I think I can tell you. We are modifying it so the ebooks can render MathML and SVG images. The goal is screen-reader accessible technical documents.

[Nick]

How strangely specific of a task. They have defiantly found them selves a niche to work in. I'm sure it can be related to a broader array of uses then just reading spec sheets to the blind... especially with all the hands free text-to-voice stuff that's going to be important for people to get text messages while driving. (because none of us ever user our phones while driving..) Or some other much cooler task that I can not, in my limited capacity, think of.

[zourtney]

Pffft, people who use phones in the car are filthy criminals.

Though I'm quite unclear about how illegal it is to use my iPod --which happens to be my phone-- while driving.

Anyway, the ebook reader is trying to get a physics journal to publish in an epub format. And, potentially other technical publications, if it works well. It seems that ebooks might finally be starting to become real instead of just laughably geeky/unusable.

Yeah, you can probably blame Apple for lighting the fuse. They could sell a piece of used carpet and the masses would adore it. (actually, with all the "green" nonsense around these days, that could almost happen)

[zourtney]

After doing some actual development in Python and Django, I must say that I like it. If I were ever to write a whole website from scratch, it might be the right tool for the job. Well, it's at least one of the cooler tools.

But for now, Randomland shall stay in the realm of the behemoth niftiness of Drupal confusion. Just saying...maybe we can set up a test site and write some examples. (As if I were lacking projects...)

[Nick]

It seems far to easy to amass projects. Even easier to never finish any of them .

Whats this Python and Django got that others don't? What are its specialties?

[zourtney]

Essentially nothing. Why do they make Nissans when there are fleets and fleets of Fords? Variety, I suppose.

The one thing I do like about it is the way URLs are defined -- as a regular expression mapped to a function call. This makes it really easy to lay out your site's structure. Other than that, it's essentially the ASP model where you have a set a nice database API, your "business logic" classes, and a scripted web frontend. And the same 3-tier model applies in all subdirectories (if you want it to).

Most of the coolness is that I'm learning something new and fun.

[Nick]

Gotcha. Just another pair of pliers. This one is perhaps some needle nose rather then a pair lineman's or channel locks.

[zourtney]

Ok, I can't resist -- certainly you have encountered this on The Register by now right??

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/15/street_view_pliers/

[Nick]

Haha. Yes. The comments from the original article are golden.
Its from them that I leaned of a British spoof on educational programming called "Look around you".

The original article "http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/2/2010/03/12/giant_pliers/"