Expert Python Programming
Learn best practices to designing, coding, and distributing your Python software
Tarek Ziadé
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Expert Python Programming Copyright © 2008 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, Packt Publishing, nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: September 2008
Production Reference: 1110908
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. 32 Lincoln Road Olton Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK. ISBN 978-1-847194-94-7 www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by Javier BarrXa C. (
[email protected])
Credits Author Tarek Ziadé Reviewers Shannon -jj Behrens
Project Manager Abhijeet Deobhakta Project Coordinator Patricia Weir
Paul Kennedy Wendy Langer
Indexer Rekha Nair
Senior Acquisition Editor Douglas Paterson
Proofreader Chris Smith
Development Editor Ved Prakash Jha
Production Coordinators Aparna Bhagat
Technical Editor
Rajni Thorat
Siddharth Mangarole Cover Work Copy Editor Sneha Kulkarni Editorial Team Leader Mithil Kulkarni
Aparna Bhagat
Foreword Python has come a long way. There was a time when companies would call me crazy when I insisted on using Python. These days, there simply aren't enough Python coders to go around. Major companies such as Google, YouTube, VMware, and DreamWorks are in a constant scramble to snatch up all the good Python talent they can find. Python used to lag behind Perl because Perl had CPAN. These days, setuptools and PyPI have led to an explosion of readily available, high-quality, third-party Python libraries. Python also used to lag behind Java Servlets and Ruby on Rails because there was no standard API for interacting with web servers. These days, the Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI) has led to a renaissance in the Python web world. Thanks to Google App Engine, I think we'll see even more. Python seems to attract programmers who are highly opinionated and have a real taste for elegance. Very few people become Python programmers because it's what they learned in college, or because it's what all the big companies are using. Rather, people are drawn to Python when they discover its intrinsic beauty. Because of this, there are a surprising number of Python books. I don't have the statistics to prove it, but it seems to me that Python has a higher ratio of books to programmers than any other language. However, historically, there haven't been enough advanced Python books. That's about to change.