JeffCroft.com: Django for non-programmers

JeffCroft.com: Django for non-programmers
Django for non-programmers

In the 48 hours since I launched the new version of this site, I’ve been inundated with questions about Django, the Python-based web application framework I used to build it. I’ve pointed many people at the official Django website, which is loaded with great information. However, most of it is aimed at programmers — and rightfully so. Django is, after all, a platform for programming web applications.

I wanted to take a moment or two while I still have your attention to tell you why I think Django is a great tool for those of us who really aren’t programmers, as well.

I consider myself a web designer. I don’t dabble too deeply into programming. That having been said, I have downloaded, installed, and customized many-a-PHP-script in my day, and I’ve even written a few simple scripts of my own in languages like PHP, Perl, and Javascript. For the most part, I hate programming. It hurts my head (and the keyboard I bash it into, as well). But, I love what a good programmer can do. I want to build cool web applications — but they generally require someone working alongside me, doing all the dirty work while I “make it pretty.”