[plug] Web / Database advice sought

[Andrew Cooks]

Hi Brad

I believe Python is the most valuable tool you mentioned (regardless of how
much I personally dislike it) and there are multiple web application
frameworks to choose from if you decide that a browser based interface is
preferable. Keep in mind that building dynamic browser-based applications
involve combining many different components and it can be hard to find and
absorb all the information you need. You'll be looking at HTML, Javascript,
python and depending on the framework, an object-relational mapper, a
Model-view-controller architecture, an AJAX toolkit, etc. My point is simply
that it can be hard to determine what the simplest solution to the problem
is when you're overloaded with buzzwords.

On the other hand, a cross-platform python gui toolkit, like pygtk or
wxpython will limit the options just enough so that you can focus on the end
goal while at the same time making the information easily discoverable in
the api. If you envision hundreds of simultanious users, scattered over a
geographical area beyond Perth, then a web-based application is definitely
preferable in my opinion. It all depends on the current scale of the project
and the expected growth path.

In response to Alex's suggestion to use Java, the major drawback I see is
the learning curve. I would prefer Java to Python, but like web frameworks,
it's easy to spend weeks looking at all the potential building blocks and
trying to find the perfect future-proof design, given all the different
frameworks out there.

Alex, what tools did you use besides the JDK and would you mind linking to
them?

Andrew

On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 9:35 AM, Brad Campbell <brad at fnarfbargle.com> wrote:

> G'day all,
>
> I'm playing with an electronic component catalogue / stock / label printer
> idea. At the moment I'm using Postgres as the back end and Openoffice Base
> as the front.
>
> I've bumped up against some fairly ugly sharp edges in Base and am
> contemplating moving to something browser based.
>
> The label printing part uses a Windows based package from Avery (running in
> an XP VM) which happens to work incredibly nicely with a Postgres / Linux
> back end.
>
> I'm stuck in that the only tools in my toolbox are Pascal, Python & Bash.
> I'm perfectly willing to learn another language, the question is which one?
>
> This is a simple forms based database front end. What I don't want is page
> reloads every time a control changes, so I guess I'm after something with a
> little bit of smarts in the client.
>
> The other option is a really good cross-platform database front end
> (something like the old Foxpro). I could knock it out in FreePascal, but I
> think it's time I learned something a bit more browser oriented (as you can
> see, my tool cupboard is sparse at best).
>
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