Oh, yes. Look what I did today:

#!/usr/bin/env python

import sys, os, re, time, pxssh, wx

APACHE_HOST_USER = "root"

APACHE_HOST_PASSWD = "password" # root password of server on which Apache runs

APACHE_HOST_NAME = "localhost" # host name of server on which Apache runs

APACHE_ACCESS_LOG = "/var/log/apache2/access.log"

APACHE_ERROR_LOG = "/var/log/apache2/error.log"

POLL_INTERVAL = 60 * 1

LOG_REGEX = re.compile("([0-9]{1,3}\.[0-9]{1,3}\.[0-9]{1,3}\.[0-9]{1,3}) - - \[([^\]]*)\] \"([^\"]*)\" ([0-9]{3})")

class popup(wx.Frame):

def __init__(self, ip_addr, date, uri, status):

wx.Frame.__init__(self, None, wx.ID_ANY, title="Apache Log", size=(500,80))

self.info = wx.StaticText(self, -1, "IP address: %s; date: %s; uri: \"%s\"; status: %s" %\

(ip_addr, date, uri, status), wx.Point(10,10))

self.dismiss = wx.Button(self, 10, "Close", wx.Point(10,30))

wx.EVT_BUTTON(self, 10, self.OnClick)

self.Show(True)

def OnClick(self, event):

self.Close(True)

def main():

"""

The daemon. Examines last line of apache access. Displays window if IP address

is different to last stored one.

"""

LAST_IP_ADDR = ""

while 1:

s = pxssh.pxssh()

if not s.login(APACHE_HOST_NAME, APACHE_HOST_USER, APACHE_HOST_PASSWD):

pass

else:

s.sendline("tail -1 %s" % APACHE_ACCESS_LOG)

s.prompt()

for line in s.before.split("\n"):

m = LOG_REGEX.match(line)

if m is not None:

ip_addr = m.group(1)

date = m.group(2)

uri = m.group(3)

status = m.group(4)

if ip_addr != LAST_IP_ADDR:

app = wx.App()

entry_info_window = popup(ip_addr, date, uri, status)

app.MainLoop()

LAST_IP_ADDR = ip_addr

break

s.logout()

time.sleep(POLL_INTERVAL)

if __name__ == "__main__":

forking code from Python Cookbook: http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/66012

do the UNIX double-fork magic, see Stevens' "Advanced

Programming in the UNIX Environment" for details (ISBN 0201563177)

try:

pid = os.fork()

if pid > 0:

exit first parent

sys.exit(0)

except OSError, e:

print >>sys.stderr, "fork #1 failed: %d (%s)" % (e.errno, e.strerror)

sys.exit(1)

decouple from parent environment

os.chdir("/")

os.setsid()

os.umask(0)

do second fork

try:

pid = os.fork()

if pid > 0:

exit from second parent, print eventual PID before

print "Daemon PID %d" % pid

sys.exit(0)

except OSError, e:

print >>sys.stderr, "fork #2 failed: %d (%s)" % (e.errno, e.strerror)

sys.exit(1)

start the daemon main loop

main()

Someone on a Python forum asked if it would be possible to write a program which monitored your Apache access log and displayed a message on your desktop whenever someone was viewing your site. It seems that the answer is "yes".