But do you have to?

The fact that only one language is allowed - Python - makes this look like a less than serious proposition.

I'm sure privacy is a top concern for Google. It's not like they're a communist-friendly search engine, spam gateway, or the biggest host of copyright violations ever. Your confidential application data is in safe hands. Hundreds of safe hands. Millions of safe hands.

#1 of course, highlighted by BKB .... it's only gonna be useful for Python devs

#2 it's also gonna be useless for those such as myself, that specialize in desktop/security applications .... (can't exactly trust Google for that as it is ....)

"The fact that only one language is allowed - Python - makes this look like a less than serious proposition." .... By BKB Posted Thursday 29th May 2008 02:55 GMT

That is a red herring, BKB, because there are a)Degrees/Levels of Python* and b)just like any "normal" language, computer language/Machine Chatter can be translated/made to fit/reverse engineered to Basics [Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Codes] for Understanding.

* Choose any language you like in the Cloud or in "Real Life" and it will be Alien to All whom you would not include for Benefit.

"Then you can deploy your app to Google." ....... The SMARTer Programmers will be deploying their Applications through Google and not necessarily to Google. A Subtle Semantic difference which is a Fundamental Difference. Google could, of course, if they want to Run with SMARTer Programmers, purchase Mutually Supportive Rights to Capitalise and Consolidate the ProgramMIng...... which would Really be no more than ensuring Everything that they Need Funding for Programmers.

Played Well, such an Arrangement would have Google Hosting a Quantum Computer Intelligence Service, Virtualised and Anonymous and yet for All to See and Access in the Cloud.

** And you can be assured that if Google are not AIMature enough, they will be Led and Fed by those who are, although such is the Nature of Great Games, just XXXXActly Who is Following Whom is Enigmatic. And although that is as solid a clue as to whom one can XXXXPect to be Instrumental in such Plays, it is as well to remember that Breaking Unbreakable Code is one Discipline but dDeveloping IT Further into OmniScience is QuITe A.N.Other CyberIntelAIgent Art Form.

And there are any number of Google type operations, who could easily eclipse their rivals/contemporaries with the Hosting of Beta CyberIntelAIgents which gives them First Sight/veto Rights to Future Plans. And of course then, would they be Creating Virtual Governance Systems which would render the Fleeting Opportunist Politician pushing their own Personal Nationalised Agendas, compromised......... which is as good a reason as any to Proceed with Virtualised Controls in the Cloud Space of CyberSpace and with all available Speed.

You will have surely noticed that the Title is a Question ...."Google does GODs... Global Operating Devices? ** and who would be authorised/able to answer for Google or are such Novel Servers/Quantum Drivers to be AI Specialised Third Party XXXXPertEase Creating Whole New Tiers of AIR&dDs?

Let's call it, for the Sake of Argument/Debate/Continuity ....... Web 3.0, although you'll probably have to Realise that ITs Control Fields Spread much dDeeper than just an Evolution of a Earlier Concept, for Controlling Something which is Most Definitely there, the Internet, but which doesn't actually Physically Exist and is therefore an Intangible, is an Art Form which may be QuITe Alien to many yet to others QuITe normal.

I do trust that Google App Engine isn't just another glorified Hoover [J.Edgar type] Op/App...... a MetaDataMining Phish, not whenever IT can be so much More with SMARTer Programs Running IT.

are you kidding me? its /python/

your negativity makes it sound like they said "java, and you get Vi to edit it with"

Paris, cos, you know, Python, hur hur hur.

Are there any other languages.

I dowlaoded the dev environment last month and played with it and there are several things going for this:-

1. Pure python code. Joy to use and just as fast as java.

2. BigTable -- seriously good database technoligy.

It morphs between a traditional SQL based RDBMS, an

an Object store, and an even more traditional hierachical

DBMS depending on which flavour of API you choose.

3. Django - You dont have to use it but Google recomends this

Python based web framework which is very neat and clean.

Very different approach -- "XML free Spring" is the best

I can come up with.

On the down side I dont see how you could easily port your application away from Google, "BigTable" is the only database and is quite unlike any other DBMS, but at $40 for 10,000,000 page views why would you want to move?

Just to clarify my statement above, if they only offer one language, then it's not possible for people with existing applicatons written in PHP, Perl, Java, Visual Basic, C++, or other languages to use their system. Hopefully even the most rabid language fanatic can understand that rewriting existing applications in Python isn't a realistic option. The cost of the programmer time would be hundreds or thousands of times the cost of the web hosting. Only offering one language is a very big minus for a lot of potential users and it indicates that at the moment the Google App Engine is not a serious proposition.

while 1:

print "Pay google.... ",

Oh and good job on just offering Python, that is going propel Python to the number one slot.

And for those lamenting their favourite language not being there, just make the shift over to Python - as Larry Wall (Perl inventor and author) says, 'Python rocks' :)

And it is good to move applications over or create a new field in IT every now and again, it keeps people in coding jobs.

I imagine it would be a mess, if many languages and environments were offered, so best not to hold out too much hope of getting your lang in, and instead just wade on with the Python.

It would be interesting to see a comparison between Google's offering and Amazon's EC2.