Tutorials Offered in the Afternoon of Tutorial Day

PM1: Advanced Django

Instructor: Jacob Kaplan-Moss (jacob at jacobian dot org)

Class Description:

This tutorial picks up where the previous one leaves off. It's designed to give developers already using Django an in-depth look at many of Django's more advanced features. A look "under the hood", if you will. I'll cover:

• What goes on under the hood of Django's model framework, and how to use that knowledge to add custom "behavior" to Django models.
• The gory details of how Django handles a HTTP request/response cycle, and how you can hook into that cycle.
• How to use Django alongside/on top of existing databases, data, and apps.
• How to successfully deploy high-traffic Django sites.

Attendees should either attend the beginning tutorial also, or else come in with some basic Django experience.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

This tutorial is intended for people with some pre-existing Django experience or exposure. It's intended both as a follow-up for my Django tutorial and a session for people already using Django. I'd expect anyone new to Django to also attend the beginning session.

I also imagine that some attendees (any with existing Django projects) will come with questions or areas they'd like to focus on. If possible, I'd like to let the attendees guide the tutorial as much as possible; this means that I'll build in a good amount of "wiggle" into the plan.

Instructor Qualifications:

PM2: Advanced Web Application Development with TurboGears

Instructor: Mark Ramm-Christensen (mark dot ramm at gmail dot com)

Class Description:

The class is built for a more advanced audience who already has some experience with TurboGears and web development, perhaps from the morning session, and is interested in learning more about AJAX and diving into more advanced topics in Object Relational Mapping. This second class will focus largely on Mochikit and SQLAlchemy. But we'll also delve into the CherryPy dispath mechanism a bit more deeply as we talk about creating RESTful URL's.

Both classes will be a mix of instructor-led training and participatory learning. I'm convinced that people learn by doing, and so I want people to get their hands on some real code as quickly as possible.

Take away presentation materials will be provided to all participants. These materials will go into more depth on some subjects than we were able to cover in the three hour tutorial, and will be designed to help the participants to take what they learned in the Tutorial to the next level.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Developers with a basic understanding of web technologies, and TurboGears or my earlier tutorial.

Instructor Qualifications:

I'm the author of "Rapid Web Applications with TurboGears" and I've previously taught a 12 week TurboGears course for open source developers in SE Michigan. I've done nearly two dozen speaking engagements, and two web development classes in the last 18 months.

PM3: Advanced Databases with SQLAlchemy

Instructor: Jonathan Ellis (jonathan at utahpython dot org)

Class Description:

• Advanced database concepts (subqueries, functions, triggers)
• Mapping with SQLAlchemy (declaring data, queries, mapping to Python classes)
• Advanced mapping and optimizations.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Developers comfortable with database fundamentals (Assumes no prior SQLAlchemy experience, but does require familiarity with database basics a la Steve Holden's tutorial)

Instructor Qualifications:

Full-time instructor at Neumont University 2003-2004 (which coincidentally has mostly 3 hour classes including lots of hands-on time); have presented at Utah Java, .NET, and Python user groups as well as PyCon 06

Author of SQLAlchemy extension SQLSoup

PM4: Faster Python Programs through Optimization and Extensions II

This is a two-part class either of which may be taken separately. Each part counts as one tutorial. Check the class outlines to see how the topics are split out to decide which to take.

Instructor: Mike Müller (mmueller at python-academy dot de)

Class Description:

Although Python programs may be slow for certain types of tasks, there are many different ways to improve performance. This tutorial will demonstrate some of them. Examples for algorithmic improvements are given that significantly improve performance. Furthermore, several ways to speed up Python will be introduced including Numpy, Psyco, Pyrex, ctypes, C extension writing by hand, SWIG, Jython as well as f2py.

One computationally-intensive example will be used with all these techniques. Run time measurements will be carried out to compare performance gains.

The objectives of this course are to give the participants an overview over available techniques, to enable them to apply these techniques, and to give them the ability to decide what might be the optimal solution for a certain performance problem.

Participants are strongly recommended to bring laptops because all techniques are introduced with examples and exercises.

All participants will be provided with:

• sample code for all topics on CD along with current versions of all used tools
• handout with about 25 pages formulated text (no slide-printouts)
• all examples are explained in details in the handout

This is an interactive, hands-on course.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Python programmers with intermediate knowledge. Some knowledge in other languages such as C, C++, Java or Fortran is of advantage but not required.

Instructor Qualifications:

I give commercial courses about Python on a regular basis in German (http://www.python-academy.de) and English (http://www.python-academy.com). I offer two-day and three-day open courses as well as tailor-made customer courses. Customers that ordered courses include large companies from across Europe.

I also gave talks at EuroPython 2006 and 2004 as well as at the Scipy Workshop 2003. Furthermore, I gave short courses and numerous talks at various scientific conferences in Germany and the USA.

PM5: Code Like a Pythonista: Idiomatic Python

Instructor: David Goodger (goodger at python dot org)

Class Description:

Are you comfortable with Python's syntax, but have yet to master its idioms? Does Python still feel a bit like a foreign language? Are you looking for more "elegance" for your programs?

In this interactive tutorial, we'll cover many essential Python idioms and techniques in depth, adding immediately useful tools to your belt. Rationale will be provided for all idioms -- the "why" in addition to the "what & how". We'll run through lots of small, practical, hands-on examples.

Attendees should bring a laptop if possible, to try out the techniques they learn.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Beginning Python programmers

Instructor Qualifications:

• Presented a tutorial at PyCon 2006: Text & Data Processing
• As a consultant I have provided training sessions, ranging from several hours to several days.
• I worked as an English teacher in Japan for two and a half years.
• Regular one-on-one mentoring and occasional in-house group training sessions are part of my job.

PM6: Testing Tools in Python

Instructors: Titus Brown / Grig Gheorghiu (titus at caltech dot edu) / (grig at gheorghiu dot net)

Class Description:

We will discuss a complete "testing stack" of Python testing applications that we used in developing a Web application. We will cover tools for TDD, unit testing, code coverage, acceptance testing, Web functional testing, Web UI testing, continuous integration, as well as issue tracking, project management, Python package management, and code documentation. We will conclude with a brief discussion of how to use the pybots project to make sure that open source projects work across most architectures and versions of Python.

This class is lecture and demo, not hands-on.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Python developers and testers interested in testing tools.

Instructor Qualifications:

We gave this tutorial last year. Both of us regularly present at local Python Interest Group meetings, and both of us are accomplished and experienced speakers.

PM7: Internet Programming with Python

Instructor: Wesley J. Chun (wescpy at gmail dot com)

Class Description:

Python is popular for a wide range of applications, one of which is Internet programming. This tutorial introduces current Python programmers to three distinct areas of Internet programming, each in self-contained one-hour lectures with a demonstration of code following each lecture topic.

Class Outline

Intended Audience:

Developers familiar with Python who are interested in exploring client/server network programming with sockets, Internet client development (FTP, NNTP, POP3, SMTP), and web/CGI programming.

Instructor Qualifications:

WESLEY J. CHUN, MS, author of Prentice Hall's well-received book, "Core Python Programming" (http://corepython.com) just recently published in September 2006, is a Senior Engineer at NearbyNow and runs a consultancy specializing in Python software engineering and technical training (http://cyberwebconsulting.com). He has been programming, teaching, and writing since 1980, including more than a decade of Python. While at Yahoo!, he helped create Yahoo!Mail and Yahoo! People Search using Python. He holds degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Music from the University of California.