Twisted is awesome. I used it to write justin.tv's chat server, which is currently running on 18 cpus (3 physical machines) and scales to over 10,000 concurrent connections per cpu. Kyle wrote the video server in Twisted too.

Out of curiosity, why go this route as opposed to using one of the jabber servers out there?

We have a bunch of social features on the web site that need to have very tight integration into the chat server. I just don't see us getting the degree of control we currently have, with an off-the-shelf chat solution.

Makes sense. Thanks for the additional info.

I also recently learnt async/event-driven programming with Twisted. One of those really fun learning experiences: a few days of fumbling around in the dark wondering if my brain is broken, then the great moment when the lightbulb goes on and I've got a shiny new tool to play with.`

If anyone is wondering, Tom of Ticketstumbler is one of the wisest, most hardcore developers from the Summer YC 08 batch. He doesn't talk trash all day like cough fallentimes cough ;-), so when he opens his mouth, it's usually something coolly profound.

Thanks garry! <3

If anyone is wondering, Garry of Posterous is one of a two-man team who make us all look bad by releasing a new feature almost every day, responding instantly to user feedback, and generally being annoying over-achievers. I know you're cheating, Garry, and when I find out how... ;)

Hey - I resemble that remark!

So this is what Tom does all day; I always wondered.

Huh? You guys just launched - why would you immediately try to migrate to some new technology you have never used? Don't you have other technological and user facing issues to face before you start optimizing the back-end?

For example, what's up the with http://ticketstumbler.com/charlotte-bobcats-playoff/ that?

Actually, barring errant issues such as that, our biggest pain point by far is the back-end. There are a few bugs still around, yes, but they are within acceptable norms for something "just launched". The new back-end is a big part of what will fix issues like the one you've pointed out (not to mention the current cause of them). The more stable it is the more it can be relied on to automate fixes such as this and other bugs that crop up; click around long enough and you'll find a few other easter eggs! Sorry to ruin your fun, but I am aware of all of them.

There's a significant difference between optimization and getting something where it should have been in the first place. All of our user facing issues such as links that go no where, stale tickets, etc. are all in one way or another caused by the back-end. All the TS front-end does, really, is display data. It takes almost no input, other than what you search for. There's no user data. A well-trained seal could make it bug-free.

TL;DR: No.

TicketStumbler knows the Bobcats won't make the playoffs for another ten years and is simply testing our users' savvy.

Just kidding - thanks for pointing that out. Our biggest user issue, like my favorite female body part, has to do with the back end.