Encouraging Python adoption in your organization

[Alia Khouri]

Recently, I've been fortunately placed in a position to possibly
mandate the use of python for certain tasks in my new organization.

Now, I've inherited an environment which is windows-centric, lacking
in knowledge about scripting, and somewhat sub-standard in terms of
productivity. I've also inherited a set of pre-existing systems which
I have to deal with and manage:

- Peoplesoft ERP
- Java webframework based on webwork/hibernate/jboss/mysql
- Lotus Notes/Domino

Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage the
productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python scripting to my
developers. Of course, I'd rather be persuasive than coercive.

Any ideas?

Many Thanks.

Alia K

[Steve Holden]

Alia Khouri wrote:

Recently, I've been fortunately placed in a position to possibly
mandate the use of python for certain tasks in my new organization.

Now, I've inherited an environment which is windows-centric, lacking
in knowledge about scripting, and somewhat sub-standard in terms of
productivity. I've also inherited a set of pre-existing systems which
I have to deal with and manage:

- Peoplesoft ERP
- Java webframework based on webwork/hibernate/jboss/mysql
- Lotus Notes/Domino

Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage the
productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python scripting to my
developers. Of course, I'd rather be persuasive than coercive.

Any ideas?

Pay me to come and give them a class and they'll be converts for life!

regards
Steve
--
http://www.holdenweb.com
http://pydish.holdenweb.com
Holden Web LLC [phone]

[Paddy McCarthy]

al*********@yah oo.com (Alia Khouri) wrote in message news:<40******* *************** ****@posting.go ogle.com>...

Recently, I've been fortunately placed in a position to possibly
mandate the use of python for certain tasks in my new organization.

Now, I've inherited an environment which is windows-centric, lacking
in knowledge about scripting, and somewhat sub-standard in terms of
productivity. I've also inherited a set of pre-existing systems which
I have to deal with and manage:

- Peoplesoft ERP
- Java webframework based on webwork/hibernate/jboss/mysql
- Lotus Notes/Domino

Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage the
productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python scripting to my
developers. Of course, I'd rather be persuasive than coercive.

Any ideas?

Many Thanks.

Alia K

send carefully chosen selection of your developers for training in
Python and probably Zope. Although one can learn on ones own, a few
days away from normal office pressures allows one to concentrate on
the subject better.

Take a good look at what you have and try and do an honest critique -
what is good as well as bad in it, then, discuss your findings and
suggest/ask for suggestions on improvements. Remember your greatest
resource is most likely to be your people.
Try and sell to them the career benifits of an improved system - Can
you Justify to your boss the changes you envisage?

Make python available throughout your domain - Every windows machine
should have Activestates distro. (and/or Cygwin). If you were
thinking of moving to Zope then get it installed and let people know
where it is and were to access tutorials.
Mandate on obvious Python strengths - document each class/function -
self testing modules, platform independance (but pre-define your
platforms).

If your system is just plain bad then you might be able to go with
'What we have is bad in so many ways (and this should be
self-evident). A clean sweep is called for. A new system, a new
language, new training, the company wins - thepeople of your team
wins!

Ta ta, Paddy.

[Roger Binns]

Alia Khouri wrote:

Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage the
productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python scripting to my
developers. Of course, I'd rather be persuasive than coercive.

Simply lead by example. Using win32all you can do wonderful stuff
with COM in order to glue various components together. Let other
people read your code and see how simple it is.

Roger

[John Hunter]

>>>>> "Alia" == Alia Khouri <al*********@ya hoo.com> writes:

Alia> Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage
Alia> the productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python
Alia> scripting to my developers. Of course, I'd rather be
Alia> persuasive than coercive.

Alia> Any ideas?

Read "Hackers and Painters" by Paul Graham, and then give copies to
your developers. He writes compellingly about the benefits of using
python (or lisp) is a competitive environment.

JDH

[GerritM]

"Alia Khouri" <al*********@ya hoo.com> schreef in bericht
news:40******** *************** ***@posting.goo gle.com...

<...snip...>
Now, I've inherited an environment which is windows-centric, lacking
in knowledge about scripting, and somewhat sub-standard in terms of
productivity. I've also inherited a set of pre-existing systems which
I have to deal with and manage:

- Peoplesoft ERP
- Java webframework based on webwork/hibernate/jboss/mysql
- Lotus Notes/Domino

Given this context, I'm mulling over strategies to encourage the
productivity-enhancing benefits and 'joy' of python scripting to my
developers. Of course, I'd rather be persuasive than coercive.

Any ideas?

Many Thanks.

I would recommend to couple the changes to the "hot" topics of the rest of
the organisation. In other words the important and urgent needs. I have
written a short article about this: "From Legacy to State-of-the-art;
Architectural Refactoring"
http://www.extra.research.philips.co...uralRefactorin
gPaper.pdf
Besides I would make sure that you promote Python by showing its true value:
high productivity.Do not start to re-implement existing solutions in Python
if there is no clear benefit for the rest of the organisation.

kind regards, Gerrit Muller

--
Praktijk voor Psychosociale therapie Lia Charité
<www.liacharite .nl>
Gaudí System Architecting:
http://www.extra.research.philips.com/natlab/sysarch/