Baby Steps with Django - Part 1 - Introduction
8 June 2007
So up to this point, with Python on the web, I have been using the basic LAMP setup, namely Linux-Apache-MySQL-Python (both CGI and mod_python), not unlike how many people use PHP. However, now there are also lots of higher-level web frameworks in Python, such as TurboGears, Django, Pylons and so on.
I have used Zope/Plone in the past and liked using it, although unlike a simple PHP or mod_python site which shares nicely, Zope kind of requires a dedicated box just for itself as there is a bit of an upfront memory overhead which you then get back as you add extra websites to it. You also want to optimise the box for Zope. In 2007, a virtual machine may well be the ideal setup. Of course, no one doubts the power and versatility of Zope - if I was an institution or company choosing a web platform then I would go for it. However, I am not sure it is right for my little projects.
So the background is that with one of the user groups here, I was recently was involved with another person in using some pre-written code that was built on top of Django and I was not that much help in modifying it and extending it, he ended up doing the Python coding and I just fiddled with the templates to make the design look better. So I have decided that I should try to get my head around Django, if I can get it then, in theory at least, I might be able to knock out web sites a bit faster. If not I will check out TurboGears or something else.
So if you are interested then I will try to write about my progress as I go along and you can all give me advice in the comments :-) . All I have done so far is install Django. Being a framework, rather than a web application, I have nothing much to show you yet. I use Gentoo Linux on my development machine, and all I did was:
emerge django
I also just watched a video about Django, it is a year old but still quite good. Jacob Kaplan-Moss, one of the developers of Django, is talking to a user group meeting in Google's building. If you want to check it out, the video is an hour and fourteen minutes long, but you should get the main point after the first twenty minutes.
If you have Flash, and you not reading through one of the fabulous Planets, then you can click the play button below:
On Linux, the closed-source Flash plugin works really well but is a controversial subject, and the last release of our own native open source plugin called Gnash, is not quite there yet with Flash video. I am testing the CVS version of Gnash though and will fill you in on how well it works a future post. Here, this is not a problem, as I actually downloaded the .avi file from this page, (when you get there, check out the right column) which you can watch with a grown-up media player like Mplayer, VLC, Totem or whatever you have.
The next step is I will do the Django Tutorial, it is quite long but I personally like verbose tutorials.
1 SmileyChris says...
Welcome to the start of your Django journey! Make sure to call in on the irc channel if you have any troubles, we're a helpful bunch ;)
Posted at 4:14 a.m. on June 9, 2007