[Zope] A Tale from IBM land...

[Flynt]

Peter Bengtsson wrote:
> 
> > Finally, on buzzwords, I'd say go easy on Python. It scares
> > people. Say Perl, say XML, say any other ML. Who cares what
> > BroadVision is written in? Why should we care with Zope?
> > (someone is going to hate that).
> > ....Mike
> 
> I disagree.
> Zope is very different from the others in this respect.
> Python is such a big part of Zope. You could almost say: "a bunch or
> prepared classes and libraries written in Python, and it even has a HTML end
> to it. The collection of these frameworks is called ZOPE"
> And Python is definitly something to be proud of these days.


I agree with the disagreement ;-)

In fact, at least in our experience, we see Python used with - yes, you
can say enthusiasm - in expensive projects of internationally active
enterprises, where it serves as a glue language between C/C++
applications, Sybase databases, MQSeries and some Java stuff. I know of
an IBM programmer team leader working in this environment, who really
liked Zope, when it was shown to him first. In this environment it is
not Python which lacks acceptance, but Zope itself in its function as an
application server framework having to compete with tradenames like
Webspere.

At lower budget levels Zope has to compete against PHP and to a much
lesser degree against Perl/CGI. Rarely people with experience in XML
will shy away from Python.

This said, I feel, that the former concerns more the people with
technical occupations in their work; managers are more likely to argue
simply that it is in the context of lower level budgets and/or simple
web applications easier (yet) to find people with PHP or Perl/CGI skills
than Python programmers. Or, even simplier, they had already heard *PHP*
and *ASP*, but they never heard of *Python*.

But you have to make a basic decision: Zope is mostly Python, and the
power of Python is right that, what distinguishes Zope from purely
webscripted applications developed with ASP and PHP. Hiding away Python
from Zope does more harm than good in the long term. It would be like
cutting an eagle's wings only for the reason that the eagle thus may
look more alike to a familiar chicken for a (web)farmer. 

--- Flynt