> Have a RAD development environment

[link|http://pythoncard.sourceforge.net/|http://pythoncard.sourceforge.net/]
[link|http://boa-constructor.sourceforge.net/|http://boa-constructor.sourceforge.net/]
For simple dialog-driven scripts, see [link|http://www.ferg.org/easygui/|http://www.ferg.org/easygui/]

> Run under windows

Natch. Specifically, you can wrap any DLL with pywin32: [link|http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/|http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/] I've recently built and used an ADO wrapper quite successfully, for example.

> Speak to databases

[link|http://www.python.org/topics/database/|http://www.python.org/topics/database/]

> Speak to networks

[link|http://docs.python.org/lib/lib.html|http://docs.python.org/lib/lib.html] Any particular protocol you had in mind? >;)

> Not have a cost for distributing the end results

Free speech _and_ free beer.

> Have some presence on programmer resumes

Erm. Not sure what you mean by this; you mean "well-known"? Then you're stuck with C# and Java. But I'll make this claim: any VB programmer can become as productive in Python (as they are in VB) within a month. I don't mean ship them off to a month-long seminar; I mean _as they're working_.

> Have a quick learning curve for some initial wins to prove it out

Especially given the number of people worldwide using Python to hack Win32, I think you'll find sysadmin scripting to be your foot in the door for Python, as others have.