Internet Programming with Python

• Network Programming using Sockets—underneath all of today’s network protocols, i.e., web/HTTP, FTP, database connections, IM conversations, online gaming, e-mail exchange, etc., lies the root communication mechanism, sockets. Here, we introduce client/server architecture and how to program sockets using Python.

• Internet Client Programming—one level higher than sockets are well-known Internet protocols such as FTP, NNTP, POP3, and SMTP. In this hour, we learn how to use Python’s standard library to create clients of those and other Internet protocols.

• Web Programming—yes, pure CGI is “sooo yesterday,” but before you jump on all the web framework bandwagons, it’s a good idea to learn basics and the basis of how all web servers deliver dynamic content back to the client browser so that you can appreciate all the work that is done on your behalf by a more full-featured framework.

• Intro to Django—time-permitting, we will go one more level up, with a lightweight introduction to Django. You will be able to build an extremely simplistic blog in about 15 minutes!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES This tutorial gives a concise and comprehensive introduction to each of these Internet and networking related topics so attendees can start experimenting with and writing applications as soon as they get back to their hotel rooms. Most of the examples/demos in the tutorial can be found in either “Core Python Programming” or “Practical Django Development”, both of which are available on O’Reilly’s Safari.