[EuroPython] Random Interview: Denis Bilenko

[info at pycon.it]

We have selected some speakers through random.choice() to be featured on the
EuroPython 2011 blog! Today we introduce you Denis Bilenko!

### What's your name and what do you do?


Denis Bilenko, I'm working on an awesome new startup [SiteSupport.com][1] that
implements screen sharing for webapps. I'm mostly doing backend part where
it's all Python with a few C/Cython pieces for performance.


I also wrote and maintain Gevent, a coroutine-based network library for
Python.


### How did you start using Python?


My first Python program for which I wasn't the only user was a monitoring
application for Particle Accelerator Detector at Budker Institute of Nuclear
Physics.


It was supposed to be written in C++, the standard language in the lab, but I
was convinced Python is a better fit. My boss was skeptical but open-minded,
so we gave it a try. The important part of it was making bindings for a couple
C dependencies, where  ctypes really simplified things. The project was a
success and the development speed felt much more rapid.


### Name one Python feature you wouldn't live without


The abundance of quality 3rd party packages besides already rich standard
library.


### What is your talk/training about?


It is about Gevent and how it makes life of a network/web application
developer easier. If you already know what Gevent is, you'll find interesting
what's coming in the next major release (the changes are quite serious).


### Tease us with one secret that will be revealed during your talk/training


I'll tell what the next major release of Gevent (0.14) does differently when
interacting with Python GC and how it affects your program.


If you are not a user of Gevent yet, you might find revealing the fact that
managing lots of concurrent connections does not have to be more complex than
managing a single one in a simple script.


### Name another talk you wouldn't miss in the same track on the same day, and
why.


**Spotify and Python: love at first sight**. I'm curious about this one
because Spotify is a prominent user of Gevent.


### What would you tell someone who is still in doubt whether to register to
EuroPython or not?


If you haven't been to EuroPython before, I recommend to attend, it's a great
event to meet interesting, like-minded people. If you already attended, you
probably would not have doubts.

   [1]: http://ep2011.europython.eu/sitesupport.com

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