Newbie Using "Programming Python" 1st Ed. Question

[Cameron Laird]

In article <upxL9.1024$c52.100456 at newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
Tyler Eaves  <tyler at cg1.org> wrote:
>
>
>> I would like to use Python for simple Website automation.  I don't plan to
>> open an on-line store, but if I could use it to automate forms and other
>> things it would be nice.  I'm a little concerned about even going in this
>> direction because the client side for Python is weak.  Everyone has
>> installed the interpreters for VBScript and Javascript on Windows
>> machines, but not everyone has Python installed especially in the windows
>> world.
>
>That's of no importance. VBScript, Javascript, and (some) Java runs on the 
>client side. Python doesn't. Your webserver does all the work, the browser 
>justs gets data. 

I believe mowestusa is saying something different,
and certainly worthy of consideration.  He wants,
if I understand correctly, to write little command-
line utilities which extract information from Web
sites and report back the temperature and wind
reported at a particular latitude and longitude,
or the current headlines at Slashdot, or the books
he has checked out from his local library.  These
are excellent tasks for Python, but he's quite
right:  there is an issue sharing his work with
others, for they might be unlikely to have Python
installed.

As it turns out, there are answers for this situa-
tion; there are at least a couple of useful schemes
for turning a Python script into a stand-alone
executable.

I repeat:  Python *does* "run on the client side",
in at least one pertinent sense.
-- 

Cameron Laird <Cameron at Lairds.com>
Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
Personal:  http://phaseit.net/claird/home.html