My response to http://tarekziade.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/new-years-python-meme-2/ (with gratuitous links to pythonpackages.com, my new project, sprinkled throughout).
It was fun answering in 2009, so I thought I’d play again.
What’s the coolest Python application, framework or library you have discovered in 2011?
Pyramid. In early 2011 I released vanity, which later became pythonpackages.com (more or less). I used building the site as an excuse to learn Pyramid, and it was well worth it.
What new programming technique did you learn in 2011?
I learned to not reinvent the wheel, and to collaborate with others on solving hard problems (which in and of itself is hard). Long story short, I took a little bit of heat within the Plone CMS community for creating a “one off” migration script:
I’ve since learned my lesson and have been collaborating meaningfully with Dylan Jay on the more widely-supported mr.migrator and friends.
What’s the name of the open source project you contributed to the most in 2011? What did you do?
I contributed to the Plone project quite a bit (as I have been doing for years now), but I also fell in love with Mozilla (and their mission) and began working on various things, including a virtual machine to help with the development of support.mozilla.com:
What was the Python blog or website you read the most in 2011?
Hacker news. I have the start-up bug.
What are the three top things you want to learn in 2012?
JavaScript, JavaScript, and JavaScript. I first heard the term 15 years ago and have been avoiding it ever since. Time to jump in.
What is the top software, application or library you wish someone would write in 2012?
I hope someone (me) writes a “secret” feature for pythonpackages.com and launches it in first quarter of 2012; and I hope folks find it useful.