Python Magazine for December 2008

The December 2008 issue of Python Magazine is available for download now.

Our cover story this month is Using the Cloud, in which Patrick Altman shows you how to wield the power of globally distributed data centers with infinite storage, immediate scalability, and no fixed costs or large capital outlays using Python.

Michael Schneider brings us Design Patterns in Real Python Projects, a survey of design patterns uses found “in the wild”.

JC Cruz continues his series of OS X programming tutorials in Tabular Editing With PyObjC. This time, he covers editing data in a table control.

WikidBASE: Semi-Structured Data Management (in Seconds) by Nick Blundell shows you how to create data management applications without pre-determining a database schema and letting your app grow over time.

Jesse Noller’s column, YAML Ain’t Markup Language, gives us several good reasons to consider YAML as a substitute for XML, especially in files meant to be read or written by humans.

Mark Mruss shows us how easy it can be to work with 3-D graphics using VPython.

And this month Steve Holden takes a look at various developments in and around the Python language, reports on an extensive discussion on Python’s function call mechanism, and reminds you about Python conferences.

Finally, I recount some of my experiences from PyWorks 2008 and look ahead at how the magazine will grow in 2009.