I'm considering several options for the user interface of an application.
I want this application to be multi-platform (Windows, Linux, OSX), so one of the options I considered was to develop it as a web application, but run it on a local server to still have access to administrator privileges (which are required). simply, a web interface to my program.
I want to develop in python for convenience reasons.
Does using Pylons for this job is recommended and if so, what is the best way to run it in this setup?
You might consider web2py. The framework itself is very easy to set up, learn, and use, and it provides an easy way to distribute your app as a binary. The user would simply unzip it and click run, and it will run as a standalone app in the browser on the user's machine. It even includes its own Python interpreter, so the user doesn't have to have Python installed (very helpful on Windows, which does not typically have Python installed). The built-in Rocket server will be more than adequate for running locally (some people even use it in production). You can also use Rocket with other frameworks. If you need help, ask on the mailing list.