MeeGo Conference 2010/Python BoF

Revision as of 12:34, 19 November 2010

Original notes by alison at File:PythonBoFNotes.txt

Python on MeeGo BOF

Took place on 2010-11-17 during MeeGo Conference 2010 (Unconference) in Dublin.

Attendance

• Matti Airas, convener and Nokia python team
• Alison Chaiken, Nokia Mobility Solutions, notetaker
• Erik Stein, Independent Dev, Berlin
• Tom Waelti, Hobbyist developer
• Thomas Perl, Hobbyist developer
• Ville Vainio, Forum Nokia
• Jussi Rautio, Neusoft
• Andrei Mireskan, Hobbyist
• Attila Csipa, Forum Nokia
• Michael Thompson, Cylon
• Marcelo Lira, INdT
• Hebbalalu Raghavendra
• Wout Tankirk, Oostpoort
• David Kordsmeier (@dkords)

Discussion

PyQt license is owned by Riverbank. License and governance problems preclude inclusion of PyQt in MeeGo. MeeGo Core requires an LGPL license. There is no reason that PyQt can't be included in MeeGo Community Extras Repository.

What needs to be done to start an official Python on MeeGo project? How can we facilitate its inception? The focus within Intel/Nokia is on Qt, but community support for PyGtk and Py-Clutter is encouraged.

The Architecture Team decides which packages are included in MeeGo Core. Getting Python into MeeGo Core is important for the viability of MeeGo app development. Since MeeGo apps cannot trigger download of dependency packages, any Python libraries not included in Core must be bundled with the apps, making them much larger. Right now 2.6.5 is listed in the MeeGo specification for system-config applications. This Python package has no GUI support. Ideally both 2.6 and 3 could be included into the Core.

Question: if Core doesn't include Python, could UXes potentially include it? Will AppUp and Ovi allow posting of apps with bundled Python libraries? Android does not allow Python apps in the official Market, so attracting Python developers is a major opportunity for MeeGo.

Given the inability to consider PyQt for MeeGo, Nokia has created the PySide project which also creates a similar interface. INdT of Brazil started PySide as a replacement for PyQt. The project has a fairly low profile in Nokia but has a team of about 6 developers between Nokia and INdT. Attempts to have PySide bundled with Qt have not been successful. The interface between Python and QML has already been implemented.

Pyside has a class hierarchy that mirrors C++. PySide and PyQt have compatible APIs. On Netbook UX, Nokia encourages PyGTK as well. What can be encouraged is much larger than what will be bundled in the Core. Will it be possible with Qt to invoke Python scripts from C++, perhaps by using libpython? A demo app that takes this approach already exists in the PySide wiki.

For performance reasons, CPython libraries that provide the execution engine of Python must be RPMs. Interpreted libraries can be more flexible. Even without Qt, the startup time of Python apps on MeeGo has been rather slow. One way of speeding up start-up is to fork the Python launcher so it can load libraries in its own thread. The launcher has not yet been released because it has security problems.

What Python packages are suitable for MeeGo repos? openSUSE and Fedora packages can be used almost without modification.

A QSysinfo function that would return info about system hardware capabilities would be convenient.

Both Ruby and Python have been proposed as scripting languages in the draft of MeeGo Core. Getting Python into Maemo 6/Harmattan would set an important precedent.

Next Steps

• Set up new MeeGo Python mailing list
  • Advertise new mailing list on PyMaemo, Pyside and MeeGo Community lists
  • Send invitation to mailing list to BoF session attendants (see above)
• Create and announce an IRC channel for MeeGo Python