Yet another comparison of Python Web Frameworks

[Massimo Di Pierro]

Hi Daniel,

in many respects Gluon is similar to Django and was greatly inspired  
by Django. Some differences are:

Gluon is easier to install - you never need to use the shell, there  
are no configuration files.

Gluon is a web app. You can do all development via a web interface.

You can compile Gluon apps and distribute them in byte-code compiled  
form.

Each Gluon app comes with a ticketing system. If an error occurrs it  
is logged and a ticket is issed. you can then search and retrieve  
errors by date or client-ip.

Making forms is easier than in Django. For example given a db table  
called db.table you can do:
   form=SQLForm(db.table)
   if form.accepts(request.vars,session): pass
these two lines will do everything, including generating the form  
from the table, validating input, inserting in database or modifying  
the form with error messages. This also prevents multiple submission  
of the same form because each form has a unique one-time key.

The template language is pure python but without indentation  
requirements. Django has restrictions on what can go in templates.

The output in the views is escaped by default. In Django it is not.

You can manage internationalization (add language and write  
translations)  from the web interface.

Each app has an automatically generated database administrative  
interface. The Django one is cooler then Gluon's, but the Gluon one  
allows complicated joins in the filter field.

Gluon supports migrations: you just change the definition of a table  
and it ALTERs the table accordingly (drop works in postgres only).  
For example if you change a field from boolean to string, the  
database is altered and the values are converted from boolean to  
string for existing records.

Gluon has a sql.log console to see what changes are made to the  
database.

In Gluon you do not need to import modules. The gluon modules you  
need already imported for you.

Gluon has a top-down design. This means that the Gluon APIs are not  
under development. They are 100% stable. There may be bugs and they  
will be fixed but the syntax and signature of functions is not  
subject to change. This is why I started making Gluon, I am teaching  
a class on web frameworks and the API of Django and TG are not as  
stable as I wish they were. Moreover they have a too steep learning  
curve when compared to Gluon.

Please try it, it is no that time consuming, and send me you comments  
(good or bad)!

Massimo


On Oct 13, 2007, at 5:01 AM, Daniel Fetchinson wrote:

>> Hello everybody,
>>
>> I just joined this mailing list. Thanks for your comments about  
>> gluon.
>>
>> I have posted a short video about it and I am planning to make more
>> over the week-end.
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjja6N6IYk
>>
>> About some of your comments:
>> - the most complex modules (like html and sql ones) have doctests.
>> - the executable versions (win and mac) come with python2.5. Running
>> from source code does not require 2.5 but you probably want sqlite3.
>> - so far I support sqlite3 and postgresql, not mysql (just because I
>> do not use it and had no time for testing it).
>> - yes, there are typos in the documentation. Please point them out to
>> me so that I can fix them.
>> - I am sure there are some minor bugs I am not aware of but as far I
>> tested, it work.
>> - If you report bugs to me I promise to fix them in 48hrs.
>> - please make sure you have the latest version.
>>
>> I very much appreciate comments about gluon (good and bad). Please
>> send me more so that I can improve it.
>>
>> There will be two talks in chicago about gluon next week: at DePaul
>> Linux Users Group on Thursday evening and at the Chicago Linux Users
>> Group on Saturday afternoon. I will try record them and post them.
>>
>> Massimo
>>
>> P.S. Michele Simionato. I have heard your name before? Is it possible
>> we have met in Pisa in 1990-1996? I am also a Quantum Field Theorist
>> and there is not many of us.
>
>
> Hi Massimo,
>
> In what way is gluon different from existing frameworks most notably
> django and turbogears? What do you think are the advantages to using
> gluon over these two?
>
> Cheers,
> Daniel
> --
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