[Twisted-Python] Re: In Defense of Taps

[Moshe Zadka]

On Tue, 11 Feb 2003, Glyph Lefkowitz <glyph at twistedmatrix.com> wrote:

> However, TAPs at least produce an artifact that a user can understand, on some
> level.  A file that contains a collection of "server" objects.  Some tools
> exist (such as mktap --append) to manipulate that artifact, and it may itself
> respond (if manhole is installed in it) to various kinds of manipulation.

Two additional value from taps:
- Stuff like t.w.static.File's Registry relies on it to work properly
- tap2deb: I realize my Debian bias is showing through, but having a
  no-work way for Debian users to make their Twisted server into something
  which is integrated with the init system is really valuable. (I have found
  this to my dissatisfaction when I had to integrate Twisted with an RH
  system)

> This is the successor to the current "COIL".  If things were implemented in
> terms of plugins for _that_, you could write code which would show up as a
> nicely formatted icon and description in a spiffy web interface rather than in
> a text-based menu listing on the command line.

This is the time to thank Jp Calderon for his quite spiffy tkmktap. Now,
even users afraid of the command-line can click on pretty buttons to
configure their application (now, if tkmktap had a button for
"run tap2deb and install resulting package", then it could be honestly
said that "on a Debian system, configuring Twisted servers can done
without opening a command-line, straight from the GNOME or KDE desktops".
Yes, we don't have that functionality right now: but considering how
close we are, this is certainly an argument in favour of TAPs.

> I think that the documentation has progressed significantly since you
> originally came to Twisted.

I agree: however, for the standard stuff: that is, the stuff plugin+servers
cover, I think the documentation has been decent for a looooong while.
If anyone thinks it isn't: well, it hasn't changed a lot in a long while,
that's for sure. I still feel that these are the basic douments that
"define" a Twisted programmer: you're a Twisted programmer, when you feel
as though you could have *written* those (same as you're a Python programmer
if you feel as though you could have written the tutorial). I did get
some complaints that these are hard to read. If anyone has suggestions
on how to make these two HOWTOs more approachable, please feel free to
tell me via e-mail or IRC. 
-- 
Moshe Zadka -- http://moshez.org/
Buffy: I don't like you hanging out with someone that... short.
Riley: Yeah, a lot of young people nowadays are experimenting with shortness.