Comments on: PHP Looking at Python http://metrol.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/php-looking-at-python/ A little corner of the web for Metrol rants Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:36:06 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: bobobobo http://metrol.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/php-looking-at-python/#comment-30 bobobobo Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:36:06 +0000 http://metrol.wordpress.com/?p=16#comment-30 besides the syntatic diffs b/w php/python, i'm really concerned about the lack of built-in functionality for session handling and the fact that you have to download and install a separate extension to be able to connect to a MySQL database. Apparently the MySQLDB extension isn't yet available yet for Python 2.6 or Python 3.0. So this is that scenario where if you're on the web, you're stuck in python 2.4/2.5. I don't like that. Session handling. Appears very manual. I saw a couple of "recipes" for session handling with code like: headers = {} headers['Content-type'] = 'text/html' headers['Set-Cookie'] = 'sid=%s;' % sid print_headers(headers) That's ok, but shouldn't it be "higher level"? session_start() anyone? I mean come on. It isn't that big a deal, but if Python wants to be taken seriously as a web development language, they really should automate a lot of this stuff and integrate it as a core part of the language. I can't wait until I try file uploads... # Read the file in chunks for chunk in fbuffer(fileitem.file): f.write(chunk) f.close() message = 'The file "' + fn + '" was uploaded successfully' Looking at this now, I kind of LIKE the low levelness of this code.. it opens the door for perhaps programming a progress bar and stuff.. it seems like python gives you far more control over this code.. I don't know yet. :). besides the syntatic diffs b/w php/python, i’m really concerned about the lack of built-in functionality for session handling and the fact that you have to download and install a separate extension to be able to connect to a MySQL database. Apparently the MySQLDB extension isn’t yet available yet for Python 2.6 or Python 3.0.

So this is that scenario where if you’re on the web, you’re stuck in python 2.4/2.5. I don’t like that.

Session handling. Appears very manual. I saw a couple of “recipes” for session handling with code like:

headers = {}
headers['Content-type'] = ‘text/html’
headers['Set-Cookie'] = ’sid=%s;’ % sid
print_headers(headers)

That’s ok, but shouldn’t it be “higher level”? session_start() anyone? I mean come on. It isn’t that big a deal, but if Python wants to be taken seriously as a web development language, they really should automate a lot of this stuff and integrate it as a core part of the language.

I can’t wait until I try file uploads…

# Read the file in chunks
for chunk in fbuffer(fileitem.file):
f.write(chunk)
f.close()
message = ‘The file “‘ + fn + ‘” was uploaded successfully’

Looking at this now, I kind of LIKE the low levelness of this code.. it opens the door for perhaps programming a progress bar and stuff.. it seems like python gives you far more control over this code..

I don’t know yet. :) .

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