Python vs C for a mail server

[al pacino]

jim you are probably right.

i have had exp. with this. i had to create a server(multipurpose such
as file sharing, games (pretty simple tho like tic tac toe..) we were
in 6th sem with learning OS and comp. n/w for the first time.

it seems like these jack ass jerks (proffs/instuctors) like to bully
students...
obviously we cud not complete the project as most of the time was spent
on
learning the stuff(like TCP, multithreading..) .

i don't know how things work out in the west, but i feel the faculty
really care about their students in american colleges..in contrast to
here (in inida, though things are little different in the IITs)


Jim Segrave wrote:
> In article <1138433792.970322.95810 at g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> Ravi Teja <webraviteja at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> Why don't you use an existing mail server?
> >
> >Probably because that was his homework assignment for a networking
> >class. Not uncommon to be told to implement a server from the scratch
> >from the RFC. Although that does not explain his concern about
> >performance.
> >
> >Abhinav, if that is the case, using sockets is more or less the same
> >from any language. Python as usual will be cleaner than C. You might
> >want to look at Twisted Mail. Use SocketServer module in the standard
> >library to implement the RFC. Other than that it is silly to try to
> >write a Mail Server unless you have some extra ordinary need.
>
> Any lecturer assigning "write a mail server" as a class project is
> doing his/her students a true dis-service. Mail server RFC compliance is a
> nightmare to get right, performance issues and mail routeing are both
> material for at least a full year's university study.
>
> A student who tries to make an even vaguely RFC compliant mail server
> probably won't finish their project, as student who completes such a
> project might come away with the mistaken belief that they actually
> have done it correctly.
>
> The number of software products which use eail and do so incorrectly
> is astounding and depressing. There's a reason that the source for
> sendmail is about 120K lines, exim is nearly 270K lines. Doing it
> right is _hard_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jim Segrave           (jes at jes-2.demon.nl)