Python Web Programming

Rating:
Summary: Excellent example snippets; Clear explanations
Review: If you are going to be using Internet protocols, doing network programming, or web programming with Python, and these are new topics for you, I would highly recommend this book.

The book starts with a brief overview of the Python language. The author's intention is that someone with a fairly extensive programming background in other languages would be able to pick up enough Python from this overview to be able to do the rest of the programming in the book. Perhaps so. I already know Python, but did find the summary in the front informative.

I really like the fact that nearly every page has a code snippet on it. Examples are brief and to the point. The author explains each line of code and has a very direct and clear way of explaining things. I found the explanations easy to read and understand.

After the brief Python Language overview, comes an overview of sockets and socket programming. I've been trying to learn a bit about the whole topic of sockets by searching the web and nothing I found on the web explained it as clearly as this book. I now appreciate the difference between TCP and UDP protocols and have an idea of the situations in which I would want to use each. If you want to learn low-level sockets, or how to write your own socket protocols, this is not the book you are looking for. This book basically assumes you will go with either TCP or UDP (and ignores the other types of sockets available in the Python socket library). However, these will probably suit most people's needs.

The author then walks you through each of the Internet data-handling libraries in Python, such as the telnetlib, ftplib, poplib, smtplib and so on. He gives examples of working code for each library, showing first how to implement clients, and later on how to implement servers. If you want to work with these libraries, these explanations should be very helpful.

Later in the book, Holden addresses using databases in Internet programming, using XML and writing your own web-application framework. I haven't yet had a chance to go through these chapters in detail (I've skimmed them only). But there is a LOT of stuff there. One thing the author does at the beginning of each new section, is give an overview of the topic (such as an overview of why you might want to use a database, how databases work, or why you might want to work with a web framework). For me, I really appreciate this type of overview. It helps give me a context for the new information, and helps me to make better sense of it. I read through some of the database chapters where he explains how the SQL query language works, and again, I have to say it is one of the best explanations I've read. (Most explanations I've read about SQL have just convinced me I wanted to steer clear of it.)

Another nice thing, is how he sort of "works you up to" SQL. He starts out with regular Python code, and shows how parts of it are similar to working with an SQL database, and then eventually transitions into the full SQL language. He also addresses database design and efficiency.

Overall, I'd say if you want a good overview of the topics mentioned here, want to understand the reasoning behind their use, and want to be able to understand good design and efficiency, then this book should really help you out.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book, A Great Resource!
Review: Python Web Programming by Steve Holden with David Beazley; New Riders, 2002, 691 pages.

Python Web Programming is a great resource for web programmers. I have found not found this much information, on all aspects of web programming with Python, in any other book. It is extremely well
written and a joy to read.

The book first gives an overview of the Python language. This overview is well worth reading, even if you are already a Python expert. Steve Holden has a unique and interesting perspective on the matters at hand, and he gives very detailed expositions on the whys and wherefores behind various Pythonic idioms. I found that this section gave me a different point of view and a deeper understanding of several aspects of Python's design and structure than I had previously realized.

Next, in a very rich and informative section, over 100 pages are devoted to Network Programming in Python. After giving a very clear and detailed overview of basic network programming basics, the author shows how the Python libraries can be used to do meaningful client side and then server side web programming. I am sure that I will come back often to this section as I further explore CGI programming and also server side programming. The book gives good instructions on how to practice server side programming even if you only have a simple web connection. This section is really valuable.

Database Programming in Python then receives over 100 pages of work. I am weak in this area, but the explanations in this section gave me a good enough background to better understand the database parts of later web programming topics.

Next, almost 100 pages are devoted to XML and Python, including SAX. This section is also well written and the explanations were enough for me to again comprehend the following web programming topics whenever XML came into play.

Finally, the book covers some home brewed, integrated web applications. AWeFUL, an object oriented web site framework, and PythonTeach, a web application for use in academica, are two straight forward programs very well understood by Steve Holden and are beautifully explained.

This book is worthwhile to anyone with an interest in CGI, server-side programming, or just web programming using Python in general. Really, I think that anyone "into" Python will thoroughly enjoy this book, and will learn a lot. The database and XML sections are like icing on the cake. I believe the book is aimed at folks experienced with Python, but the explanations are detailed and clear enough for even those who are not "experts".

I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: How to leverage the powerful Python libraries
Review: Python Web Programming is a practical, 720 page introduction and guide to building networked systems in the object-oriented framework of the Python language. It shows how to leverage the powerful Python libraries to build systems with less programming effort and easier maintenance. It leaves involved discussion of the Python language by itself to other books and dives right into using Python within web enables applications.

Rating:
Summary: More than what's in the title
Review: This book covers a great deal more than python web programming.

You obviously get a nice view of the Python programming language, but also gain some good insights about python database API, as well as the network programming API available in python (both client and server, including the asynchronous socket module), not to mention XML processing.

There are lots of "tricks" in this book, which clearly shows that the author has hands on experience on the topics covered, and has had to deal with Real World problems. In this perspective, I especially enjoyed the extensions proposed to help decoupling the SQL queries from the database backend used.

This is a great book, and I present it as such to the people attending python courses at Logilab.

Rating:
Summary: Bit disappointing - but very well written
Review: This book may be good for someone who wants to understand the web and networking technologies. But for someone moving from Perl, VB and Java (myself) it is somewhat less usefull.

Couple of observations:
* It is very well written
* It shocked me that the examples are almost all developed for windows. On his website it states that they are not tested in linux (Check his website for more).
* There was no mention of mod_python (which I was interested in) in the index. (there is a slight mention in the book).
* The database (MS Access, mysql stuff was good) - but what about postgreSQL?
* Lots of stuff on XML with limited mention of XSLT

Rating:
Summary: Trying to Learn Python? Check this book out!
Review: This book will help anyone trying to learn the Python language. I have used this book many times while writing Python code and it always remains close by! The visual reference is extremely helpful and effective during the learning process and the authors provide just enough written explanation without drowning the reader with a bunch of theory. Can't think of a book I enjoyed or would recommend more!!...

Rating:
Summary: Trying to Learn Python? Check this book out!
Review: This book will help anyone trying to learn the Python language. I have used this book many times while writing Python code and it always remains close by! The visual reference is extremely helpful and effective during the learning process and the authors provide just enough written explanation without drowning the reader with a bunch of theory. Can't think of a book I enjoyed or would recommend more!!...

Rating:
Summary: More than the title indicates
Review: This is a great book. It covers a lot more than the title would indicate; I have been programming for years, but my formal education is a bit stale, and from this book I got an overview of Extreme Programming (enough to discover I've been using over half the techniques for years). Steve covers everything from basic program design theory to the nuts and bolts of simple web server implementation. Database design is covered, including a brief description of the "normal" forms for those (like me) whose education predates relational technology.

I admit, I skimmed over the early chapters explaining how to program in Python. Those chapters are just long enough for a programmer to grasp the beauty of Python but not so long that I feel the space is wasted.

Best of all, I finally understand asyncore/asynchat.

If you aren't versed in HTML and other very basic web technologies, you'll need more than just this book, but if you have done a website or two, maybe some basic CGI, this is a great book for the next step.

Rating:
Summary: More than the title indicates
Review: This is a great book. It covers a lot more than the title would indicate; I have been programming for years, but my formal education is a bit stale, and from this book I got an overview of Extreme Programming (enough to discover I've been using over half the techniques for years). Steve covers everything from basic program design theory to the nuts and bolts of simple web server implementation. Database design is covered, including a brief description of the "normal" forms for those (like me) whose education predates relational technology.

I admit, I skimmed over the early chapters explaining how to program in Python. Those chapters are just long enough for a programmer to grasp the beauty of Python but not so long that I feel the space is wasted.

Best of all, I finally understand asyncore/asynchat.

If you aren't versed in HTML and other very basic web technologies, you'll need more than just this book, but if you have done a website or two, maybe some basic CGI, this is a great book for the next step.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent: as both introduction and expert tutor
Review: This is a high quality book that is remarkable in taking the reader through a superb introduction or review of the Python language, into the basics of network protocols, and client/server concepts, and on to writing progressively more sophisticated python scripts to access networks, create web applications and work with network databases. The writing is clear and highly systematic: the needed concept is presented at the right time. There is also a sense of fun to the writing which echoes the fun many find intrinsic to the language. Highly recommended.