Python and Database

[Patrick Useldinger]

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 10:59:58 +0200, "Noelle QUEMENER"
<noelle.quemener at edf.fr> wrote:

You have a lot of constraints, and I suppose that you didn't mention
that you also have very short deadlines ;-)

There are 2 issues here:

- 1:  Architecture -
this is critical for your project, and more or less independant of the
programming language you want to use. Decide this first. If you want
this high level of availibility, clusters are probably a good way to go.

- 2 : Language -
Basically, I am tempted to say that you should use whatever your
programmers know best. The application you describe can probably be
written in any language. Java is a sure guess though, because it has a
lot of support.
For speed of calculation, consider writing the number crunching code in
a compiled language.

Using a new language in a new project is IMHO only suitable if this is a
pilot project whose aim it is to evaluate the language. Don't make the
mistake many large corporations do, i.e. expect a new technology to be
the silver bullet for a difficult project. I have seen some of these,
and they all produce bad results, if any at all.

What is your company's politics? In our company, you don't just "try
another language", because this raises a lot of issues about programmer
competence, maintenance, ...

This is not a testimony againt Python. Python is my preferred language,
but I believe every language needs to be "played around with" first
before using it in a business project. 

-PU