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Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

anvil.works

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Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#81

Post by meredydd »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #76
meredydd wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compiling Python to Javascript is always going to be incomplete. (For example, it doesn't make much sense to open() a file from the browser!) However, we run full CPython (2.7 and 3.6) on the server, so any language feature you like is just a function call away :)

Ok, so I can run 3.6 code on the server and return the output? As Py2 is EOL in about two years it feels risky for anything to be built on it.

That's exactly what you can do! If you open up a Server Module, you'll see a drop-down in the top-right. That will allow you to select a Python 3.6 runtime.

The client-side code is Python 2 only for now, but we're already upgrading our Python-to-Javascript compiler to include Python 3 syntax.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#82

Post by nicpottier »

sametmax wrote: post #77
startupdiscuss wrote: post #70

I am torn: 1. Great idea, just what "we" need in the language we need. (Python cloud RAD). 2. But I don't want to do all this work and be locked into your system forever. I want to be able to run this on Digital Ocean or AWS etc. if I want. I think am open source version where you give people an option of hosting on your site at first would be the best compromise. Please consider it.

You are basically asking them: "I love your work. Please add an option so I can use it, benefit from it, then leave and never pay you again."

This is not an unreasonable ask though. You should certainly think twice to pigeon holing yourself with any technology that you do not have full rights to and will be lost without a specific provider.

It does make figuring out your business model more complicated, but having SOME story for what will happen if you go out of business or start being a bad actor is something you need to figure out.

It isn't impossible though, our SAAS is Open Source and we survive, though yes, some customers do choose to self host. You just end up with fewer enterprise customers and more smaller clients.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#83

Post by metalliqaz »

rahoulb wrote: post #69
metalliqaz wrote: post #51

It's $50 a dev/month for custom layouts and user logins? What independent could afford $600 a year?

What is your hourly rate? Is it less than $50/hour?

I fail to see the equivalence. I'm not contracting with Anvil for development or support. I'm basically buying a tool, in this case a tool that is more expensive than my hosting costs.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#84

Post by tim333 »

CamTin wrote: post #52
yorwba wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an "enterprise feature" https://anvil.works/features On-site installation For when you need to keep sensitive data or apps inside your firewall. Anvil on-site installations allow you to develop and deploy your apps entirely in-house.

I was thinking more in terms of ameliorating the risk of building a successful small business on this and them going out of business after gorging themselves on VC money and having a heart attack.

You could probably rewrite your thing in Django or similar in the event of that. Given that the majority of web apps don't turn into successful small business it might be a good way to try stuff.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#85

Post by sametmax »

meredydd wrote: post #10

Hi there! Founder here, slightly gobsmacked to see this top of HN. Do feel free to ask me any questions about the platform :) We also have a bunch of tutorial-cum-demo videos at: https://anvil.works/learn#tutorials

Hi,

I'm really not a fan of Python client side. Or RAD. Or closed source services.

And I'm hugely impressed by the potential of your product.

Good luck.

I never though I would say that one day. But don't listen to people asking you to open sourcing it now. You can always do it once you are profitable. But right now, you need money to get this going. And if your product does what you say it does, people will be happy to pay.

Although not to be locked up on the long run. You will need to address that one day. One day.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#86

Post by zitterbewegung »

meredydd wrote: post #27
ceronman wrote: post #24

This looks really really cool. In the 90s we had RAD tools like Delphi or Visual Basic which allow you to create simple apps very quickly. I feel that we are missing RAD on the web these days. There are so many different moving pieces. To do a full modern web app you need to learn different languages and frameworks plus other technologies for hosting such as containers or AWS, etc. That might work for complex apps, b…

Were you at PyCon UK this weekend? Cause you just repeated our pitch, just about word for word :) I started out on QBASIC and Visual Basic, back in the day, and as far as I'm concerned it's practically dereliction of duty that there wasn't something similar available for the web. Eventually, we got fed up enough to go and build it ourselves.

Are these websites responsive too ?

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#87

Post by rahoulb »

metalliqaz wrote: post #83
rahoulb wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your hourly rate? Is it less than $50/hour?

I fail to see the equivalence. I'm not contracting with Anvil for development or support. I'm basically buying a tool, in this case a tool that is more expensive than my hosting costs.

Well - two areas.

One, if you're using it commercially, it's going to pay for itself pretty quickly. I rarely do client projects for less than several thousand pounds; I reckon I could probably churn a lot of them out using this in half the time.

Two if you're not using it commercially, it's still a very low cost; maybe more than pure hosting but it does a lot more than just hosting.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#88

Post by sametmax »

startupdiscuss wrote: post #79
sametmax wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are basically asking them: "I love your work. Please add an option so I can use it, benefit from it, then leave and never pay you again."

I will only leave it and never pay if something terrible happens: the price is jacked up, service suffers or I create such a great thing that I need commodity pricing. But its worse than that: if I don't have the security that I can leave, I won't dedicate time to use this. I am happy to pay for the convenience and to try to create MVPs or proofs of service etc. Anyway, it hardly matters what I think. Imagine what al…

It's ok, you are probably no the target for the service.

If you want control, you don't use a closed source saas RAD.

I would not use the product for myself. I would hate been locked down.

But I can see the value for others. For some, having one easy but clear solution is the important value.

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#89

Post by meredydd »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #86
meredydd wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Were you at PyCon UK this weekend? Cause you just repeated our pitch, just about word for word :) I started out on QBASIC and Visual Basic, back in the day, and as far as I'm concerned it's practically dereliction of duty that there wasn't something similar available for the web. Eventually, we got fed up enough to go and build it ourselves.

Are these websites responsive too ?

Yes! See our first walkthrough video, which includes a screenshot of the (unmodified!) sample app on an iPhone. (https://anvil.works/learn)

You can control which columns do and don't collapse on mobile or tablets. See this post from our user forum: https://anvil.works/forum/t/how-do-i-make-my-apps-look-nice-...

Re: Anvil: full stack web apps built only with Python

#90

Post by sametmax »

nicpottier wrote: post #82
sametmax wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are basically asking them: "I love your work. Please add an option so I can use it, benefit from it, then leave and never pay you again."

This is not an unreasonable ask though. You should certainly think twice to pigeon holing yourself with any technology that you do not have full rights to and will be lost without a specific provider. It does make figuring out your business model more complicated, but having SOME story for what will happen if you go out of business or start being a bad actor is something you need to figure out. It isn't impossible th…

I understand the request, because I would not use the service myself for the same reasons.

But let's be real, if it became open source, I would just host it and never pay for it. They would have to do more work for less money. Hardly fair.

They can always start with a strong commercial offer, then later address the user locking issue. For them, I think it's a way better strategy. FOSS first is very hard to monetize. The Libre community is a terrible customer.

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