NOKIA PRESS RELEASE January 31, 2006
Nokia to Release Python for S60 Source Code to Open-Source Software Developer Community
Availability of Python for S60 source code via SourceForge.net to enable broader contribution to advancement of open-source mobile solutions and applications for leading smartphone platform
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that it has taken a step further in support of mobile open-source software application development by agreeing to release the source code for its Python for S60 Platform software package to the global community of open-source software developers.
The agreement follows on last year’s launch by Nokia of the Python for S60 Platform, which enables programmers, ISVs and businesses worldwide to utilize the powerful Python programming language to execute Python commands and run Python scripts and applications on S60-based mobile devices.
The source code for Python for S60 Platform will be made available to the open-source software development community through SourceForge.net, which provides free hosting to open-source software development projects and is the world’s largest Open Source software development web site, hosting more than 100,000 projects and over 1,000,000 registered users with a centralized resource for managing projects, issues, communications, and code.
Nokia is contributing the core components of the Python for S60 software back to the open-source developer community in order to encourage developers to take advantage of the potential for open-source mobile applications development on the S60 Platform, the leading smartphone platform. Nokia is also continuing to contribute and work within the open source community in driving the Python for S60 technology forward.
“During the past year, the popular developer-friendly features of the Python open-source language have enabled growth of a dynamic community new to mobile development to write applications that are leveraging the potential of S60-based devices,” said Lee Epting, vice president, Forum Nokia. “Now, Nokia is extending its commitment to open-source software initiatives and hopes that its contribution of source code back to the Python developer community will drive further enthusiasm and innovations in the development of leading-edge open-source mobile solutions for the rapidly expanding smartphone market worldwide.”
“I was excited last year when Nokia announced its port of Python to its advanced phones. I’m even more excited now that Nokia is open-sourcing the port.” said Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python programming language and president of the Python Software Foundation. “Opening up the platform makes the phones accessible, and will inevitably lead to cool new applications, as well as to third-party improvements to the port itself.”
Nokia’s involvement with the Python open-source community began last year when Nokia made available the Python for S60 software package for free download from the website of Nokia’s global developer support community, Forum Nokia. The Python for S60 software package installs to a S60 platform-based device, enabling developers to create applications with the simple and consistent, object-oriented Python programming language.
Python for S60 is well-suited to the development of prototype and proof-of-concept applications, enabling development of commands, scripts and applications for S60-based mobile devices. The Python for S60 runtime can also be easily extended with dynamically loadable C++ modules, enabling developers to expose additional native device functionality to Python applications. Developers can execute Python commands using an interactive console in a S60-based device, accessible via the keypad or a remote connection to a PC over Bluetooth.
Using Python for S60, developers can write Python applications and install them to a S60-based device and the device can then run these applications from the Python environment. Python applications can also be developed to run as standalone applications with the selection of an icon from the device menu. Using Python for S60, developers also can execute Python commands and scripts in the emulators of S60 SDK’s.
The S60 platform, built on the Symbian OS, is the leading smartphone software in the world and it is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the market. The flexibility of the S60 platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of S60 devices already available on the market. Through its award-winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the innovation potential for partner solutions, the S60 provides an open and scalable business opportunity for mobile operators and 3rd party developers.
The source code for Python for S60 Platform will be posted by Nokia to SourceForge.net. Further information and a link to the project can be found by visiting http://opensource.nokia.com/.
About Python
Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language that is developed and maintained by a global community of open source developers under the oversight of the Python Software Foundation. Python is relatively easy to learn for programmers of other languages such as C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic, and can therefore assist programmer productivity. It is often characterized as an agile language that promotes speedy development and includes a unit-testing framework for building more robust applications. Python is often used in large system development to decrease software costs, and meet aggressive schedules. The language is the basis of applications used by tens of thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, and its user base is growing rapidly.