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About Me

PBX My name is Paul Bissex, and e-scribe.com is my consulting business. I build web applications using as much open source software as possible. From September to June I teach web design and other important non-photographic professional skills to photographers. In the '90s I wrote technology commentary and reviews for magazines, newspapers, and web publications, including Wired, Salon.com, FamilyPC, the late lamented Web Review, and the Chicago Tribune. Feel free to email me.

Book Project

I'm co-authoring a book, "Python Web Development with Django", with Jeff Forcier and Wesley Chun. It will be published by Prentice Hall in July 2008, but is available for pre-ordering on Amazon now.

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This site is built on a fresh trunk checkout of Django, running on Python 2.5.1, served by Apache and mod_python. The database is SQLite. The operating system is FreeBSD, on a VPS hosted at Johncompanies.com. Comment-spam protection by Akismet. Vintage topo imagery from the Maptech archive.

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A Django site.
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Copyright 2008
by Paul Bissex
and E-Scribe New Media

Why the python.org redesign is good

I just posted this mini-rant over at reddit.com in response to implications that Python is somehow selling out by getting a more business-friendly makeover.

Here's the thing about the new site being "too corporate" or whatever.

Python is not a band with a MySpace profile and an awesome debut album. It's a programming language. Programming languages live if they're used, and more or less die if they're not used. Enthusiasts, e.g. reddit users, will find what's cool regardless. Corporations, on the other hand, need to be marketed to. If you love Python, you should love the idea of it putting on a little bit of professional dress -- because that ultimately means you are more likely to actually get paid to program in Python down the road.

Maybe one of the reasons you like Python is because it's kind of like the Rebel base on jungle moon Yavin 4 staging a daring attack on the big bad Static Empire. There's certainly part of me that feels that way. As Python becomes more mainstream you are going to feel some pain. That doesn't mean that the growth is wrong; it means that you are devoted to being alternative. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Did you get into Python because of how the old website looked? Of course not. You didn't really care. Because you're a programmer. The language was cool and that drew you in. Maybe the friendly community helped. If this matches your experience, and you didn't really care about how the old site looked, then I recommend not caring about how the new site looks either.

End rant.

Tuesday, March 7th, 2006
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Some related posts: The iPhone keyboard doesn't suck • Johnny can too code • Python.org redesign launches • Digg vs. Reddit vs. Me • Blog Usability Showdown: Me vs. Jakob Nielsen • The support experience

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