(via http://python.ie/pycon/2013/talks/asynchronous_event_driven_architecture___the_twisted_way/)
Speaker: Ashwini Oruganti (http://twitter.com/_ashfall_)
This talk is aimed at explaining the event-driven architecture and asynchronous model, the reactor-pattern, and the basic concepts that make understanding and writing Twisted programs easier, and less abstruse and esoteric.
Picking up clues from the numerous attempts in the past[1] to demystify the popular beliefs about the occult nature of Twisted, the talk is designed to help you acquire the “mental model” required to write and comprehend asynchronous code. We will start by developing a basic understanding of the synchronous, threaded, and asynchronous models, then move on to comparing and contrasting the former two with the latter.
Further, we will try and understand the philosophy and motivation behind the asynchronous event-driven model, and discuss the Twisted reactor and event-loop architecture. Finally, we'll try to contemplate and demystify “The Twisted Way"" of doing things bolstered by excerpts from Tao Te Ching and The Tao of Programming.
[1] http://glyph.twistedmatrix.com/2012/12/the-twisted-way.html