Python and Django

I have always messed around with python since day one of my programming journey but I never really stuck to it for long. I would follow tutorial ‘A’ for 5 minutes then move onto learning some HTML or C#, one time early on I even went on to C++, younger me was a madman. As I have continued to learn various languages and putting extensive time into C#, Java and C++ I have come to really appreciate Python's ease of use and its many use cases, the limitless possibilities and PIPs you can install to create just about anything make it truly remarkable. My favourite book on Python would have to be “Automate the boring stuff” by Al Sweigart it was a fascinating read, it really got my creative mind flowing. My most fond memory was creating an email spammer so that I could send one of my funniest pictures to a mate, 1000 times of course. Fun fact google servers will cause it to timeout after around 500 emails or so. It was these things that always had me interested in Python but I never really stuck to it for long. I have decided I will make a goal of learning more about Python, as for a specific goal I don’t really have one other than create a website using Django and comparing that to ASP .net MVC. I have used ASP .net extensively for work but don’t like how heavily it is platform dependent (though that is changing!), thus Django seems like a great alternative. I will write a post comparing the two when I feel that I have used Django enough to justify a fair comparison.

Python is a great first language for a beginner but in terms of Django, it’s not the greatest for to start off with when dealing with the web. The framework is enormous for a start, you need to understand quite a bit before you can even begin. Furthermore, you should really use basic Html and CSS to understand the basics. When you progress further you will get to the point where you will need many different technologies to achieve any sort of website, but when you want to create that next big website this framework can get you from start to finish, back to front with a great product. It’s easy to get a lot of functionality down, such as admin pages and website logins. Django is huge, but with that comes a lot of functionality and once you learn at least the basics it becomes extremely powerful. I would encourage anyone to go an learn Python, and if you know it get back into it. Django is a fantastic web framework, if you're into full stack development give it a try to but don’t be discouraged and give up after 5 minutes because there is a hell of a lot to learn.

Errol Hassall.