Daniel Bickett wrote:
I've been trying to convince my host to install python/mod_python on his server for a while now, however there are a number of reasons he is reluctant to do so, which I will outline here:
1. His major reason is optimization. He uses Zend's optimization of PHP as an example, and he has stated that python is rather resource consuming.
This depends, as all things, on what's being done with it -- it's certainly possible to write resource-hogging Python apps, but it's possible to do that in any language. And I'm not aware of Python being particularly worse in this regard than any other web-scripting language. I suspect this translates to "I'm avoiding anything that I don't already know".
And, in light of point #1, I suggested that if there wasn't any optimization immediately available, he could just enable it for my account (thus lessening potential resource consumption at any given time), to which he retorted "Do /you/ know how to do that?", and I must say, he has me cornered ;-)
I don't know how to do that offhand... but then, I don't expect people to pay me for web-hosting expertise. I would expect, from the little that I *do* know of Apache configuration, that it wouldn't be too difficult to allow Python CGIs to run out of only one specific directory, that being within your webspace.
If you're paying for this service, then I'd agree with everyone else that you should be paying for a different service. There's plenty of webhosts around who *will* do Python. If this is a friend, then point him to the Python Success Stories (http://www.pythonology.com/success) and suggest that if there's that many Python web apps around, it can't be too horrible on resources/management, and that he shouldn't be so afraid to try something new...
Jeff Shannon Technician/Programmer Credit International
-- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
