Web Programming in Python: Techniques for Integrating Linux, Apache, and MySQL [Paperback]

George K. Thiruvathukal (Author), Thomas W. Christopher (Author), John P. Shafaee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2001

Python is 100% enterprise ready, with powerful database and XML support, and even a full CORBA implementation. But it's virtually impossible to find a book that shows you Python at work in a real enterprise environment. Web Programming in Python fills that gap, demonstrating exactly how to build robust, Web-based systems that integrate Python with other key open source technologies, including Linux, Apache, and MySQL. The book begins with a quick introduction and self-standing reference to Web programming in Linux environments using Python and Apache. You'll then review Python CGI programming from the ground up, discovering how to generate clean HTML code without adding unnecessary complexity to your code. Once you've mastered the fundamentals of Python Web development, the authors introduce threading, Linux networking, and other advanced techniques for maximizing the program robustness and scalability in. Finally, using a start-to-finish case study, you'll push web technology to its limits, as you build a powerful XML-based, database-driven application that utilizes CORBA distributed components.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Enterprise-class open source Web development — step-by-step, start-to-finish!

• Build production-quality Web applications with Python and open source technology
• Includes in-depth coverage of Python's intrinsic support for CGI programming
• Demonstrates efficient template processing using a powerful yet simple module known as the Write Processor
• Contains complete tutorials on Python, Apache Web Server, and MySQL
• Features start-to-finish Web application case studies based on Slither, a new Python-based portal application development platform

Python is 100% enterprise ready, with powerful database, network, and Internet support. Now there's a book that shows you Python at work in a real enterprise environment. Web Programming in Python demonstrates exactly how to build robust, Web-based systems that integrate Python with three powerful open source technologies: Linux, Apache, and MySQL. Coverage includes all this, and more:

• Self-contained Python tutorial: from the basics to advanced object-oriented and metaprogramming techniques
• Fundamentals of Web development in Linux environments, covering file systems, processes, networking, and HTTP (the protocol of the web)
• Network setup and Apache configuration, including the configuration of Secure Sockets Layer to support HTTPS
• Python CGI programming: generating clean HTML code without unnecessary complexity and techniques for separating HTML from your business logic
• An effective logging framework to support server-side debugging without using a debugger
• MySQL: An immersive introduction to SQL and the book modules to integrate data access in your applications
• Object-oriented techniques for form processing and powerful template processing using the Write Processor module

In an extensive case study section, you'll discover the new open source Slither Application Development Framework, and use it to build two powerful collaboration and e-commerce applications.

If you're ready to use Python and open source in a real production environment, one book delivers the techniques and code you're looking for: Web Programming in Python.

The software in this book is distributed under open source licensing terms and is available freely from http://www.toolsofcomputing.com

About the Author

GEORGE K. THIRUVATHUKAL is a principal in Zirve! Technologies LLC and is visiting associate professor at Loyola University. He also holds an adjunct professorship at Northwestern University in the ECE department and its MITP program. He is an active researcher and developer in distributed systems, programming languages, and operating systems.

JOHN P. SHAFAEE is a software developer at Hostway Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, where he leads and develops projects with Python on the Linux platform. He is an active researcher in distributed systems and cluster computing.

THOMAS W. CHRISTOPHER is a principal in Tools of Computing LLC, a Chicago-area consultancy specializing in high-performance computing and object-oriented languages. He authored Python Programming Patterns and, with George K. Thiruvathukal, he co-authored High-Performance Java Platform Computing. Christopher was formerly a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (October 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130410659
• ISBN-13: 978-0130410658
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a computer scientist, professor, and author based in Chicago, Illinois. I enjoy writing about everything but have focused most of my energy in the past on books in advanced computing topics, e.g. systems programming and web development. After a brief hiatus that required intense focus on family and my academic career, I'm delighted to be working on new writing projects, including a new book in the MIT Platform Studies series, co-authored with Steven E. Jones. Stay tuned!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very broad but very effective, July 20, 2002

By 

David Martens "dm" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Web Programming in Python: Techniques for Integrating Linux, Apache, and MySQL (Paperback)

This book is surprising in its breadth of coverage (Python basics,
Python advanced topics, MySQL, Apache/CGI and net infrastructure) and
the depth of coverage of each. It is a great single reference for
coming up to speed on each aspect such that you could actually
implement a medium-sized web application based largely on
just what is in the book. For those that are already familiar with
any of these topics, that chapter can easily be skipped. This book
is not for the complete beginner though as it would be impossible
to cover so much ground if it were written with the Dummies mindset.
Overall, it does a very good job explaining subtle points that an
experienced programmer would want to know as they attempted to
implement a first application with these technologies. Good job.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where are they now?, May 9, 2003

By 

cwurld "cwurld" (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Web Programming in Python: Techniques for Integrating Linux, Apache, and MySQL (Paperback)

This books was a major disappointment. The ideas seem pretty solid, but the book no longer matches the code that is available online. The downloads are a mess. The book says to install slither using the instructions in the download, but there are no instructions in the download. Two users posted requests over a year ago for these instructions and the requests were totally ignored. In fact not much has happened over the past year. It really seems as if the authors have moved on. Slither seems to be dead.

On another note - this book is very academic. For example, there is a couple of pages of discussion about the different theorectical ways to design databases. But my needs are so simple, that I already knew I was going to use MySQL, so I just did not care about this discussion. Unfortunately there are lots of discussions like that in this book. So if you just wanna get something done fast, this might not be the book for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I could have been a very good book, May 28, 2004

By 

J. Hermosa "jahermosa" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Web Programming in Python: Techniques for Integrating Linux, Apache, and MySQL (Paperback)

This book had the right idea and its basic outline was well thought out. But when I tried some of the examples I found too many errors. There is no web site support for the errors in the code examples, or exercises by the author or publisher. So you are on your own.
In all fairness, the book contains a good presentation to Python, Linux and MySQL, and a good basic explanation of the Internet, Apache and CGI. However, I think most of us learn best by trying out the exercises after reading the theory, and it is here where the book is weak. Because there are too few complete exercises, many errors, no errata, and lack of web support I cannot recommend this book. Also, some of the exercises require the "Slither" libraries, which do not seem to be supported any longer. Furthermore, I haven't been able to find a place to download the code in this book.