Reviewing the need for Python

As I am writing this book, Python is the third most popular language according to the TIOBE Programming Community index. Given current trends, it may surpass Java and secure second place by the time this book is published. The only other language more popular than Python and Java is C.

So why should you choose Python instead of C or C++, which is supported natively by Tuxedo? Well, Python is simply a more productive tool for writing application logic. Unlike C, Python comes with "batteries included" and contains tools and libraries for many tasks. If the libraries included are not enough, Python has standard tools to download and install open source libraries for the missing functionality.

Python is a dynamic language and has some problems because of its dynamic nature, but, at the same time, it makes Python code easier to test by using mocks for database access and Tuxedo service calls. The same mocking enables you to migrate code away from Tuxedo if you choose to do so. It serves as an abstraction layer on top of Tuxedo, isolating your code from some of Tuxedo's APIs.

Even if the application is written in C or COBOL, using Python is beneficial for testing and quality assurance. It can be used for building a quick prototype before implementing it in C. There are plenty of good reasons to give it a try.

Tuxedo already comes with Python support, but sadly, the SCA standard did not gain popularity and is considered dead. Nothing prevents you from using SCA, but that is another API to learn in addition to XATMI and it exposes fewer features than Tuxedo provides. We will use something that does not hide the powerful XATMI and Tuxedo's improvements on top of it.

There are several open source libraries for developing Tuxedo applications using Python. This book will use Python's tuxedo module for all examples, but many examples can be implemented with slightly outdated tuxmodule or tux_oracle modules as well. And since those are open source modules, you can always add missing functionality yourself.