[Zope] Zope vs. java solutions : looking forward ?

sean.upton@uniontrib.com sean.upton@uniontrib.com
Thu, 11 Jan 2001 09:04:21 -0800


Frankly, it is a lot easier to program in python; it is much more forgiving
in a lot of senses.  If your developers like the idea of Java because it is
OO, have them consider python's strong abilities, and the fact that they
will be working with a persistent object system / ODB that can make their OO
code much more than a filter for relational datasets.  That said, if your
developers like java because it runs in a VM on several platforms, Zope is
cross-platform, and I guess Zope could be considered similar to a JVM: a
platform for running cross-platform code.  

I don't think Java is a wise direction for a small firm; at least in Zope,
you can start off with simplicity, and graduate to bigger solutions without
a huge investment in lots of developers in the future.

What kind of site do you have?  For e-commerce, you are going to have heavy
use of relational databases, but for publishing articles, you might want to
consider using the ODB, something you are not going to get with Java
solutions...  I use Zope with XMLDocument and custom ZClasses for content,
and it is a lot easier to get things done quicker that way...

Sean



-----Original Message-----
From: Henk Schets [mailto:henk@poppunt.be]
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 12:58 AM
To: zope@zope.org
Subject: [Zope] Zope vs. java solutions : looking forward ?


Hi,

We are planning a major update of our site (i.e. building a new one).  At
the moment our site is based on php,cgi, MySql and Apache on Linux.
However, for the new site, we are considering other 'platforms' like Zope or
Enhydra.  I find Zope an elegant solution for our new site because we will
be relying heavily on non-technical people contributing articles for
publication.  But the problem is this : the development will be made by a
small commercial firm (the guys who work there are friends) and they are
biased towards a java solution because they think this will be a standard
for the future.  They do not want to invest in learning Zope en end up in
not being able to sell their acquired knowledge in this.  I should note
that, at the moment, they have no experience in Java nor Python, so they
will have to learn one or the other.
The problem I will be facing is the maintenance of the site and adding new
features.
What do you guys think ?  Does Zope have a future with respect to e.g.
Enhydra (this is Python versus Java for internet applications)?   Does
someone have experience with both and can you comment on the learning curve
?


Thanks,

Henk


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