PyMaemo (Python for Maemo) second beta release for Fremantle

Posted on Mon 10 August 2009 in Igalia, Linux, Maemo (EN), Programmazione, Python • Tagged with bindings, fremantle, maemo, nokia, pymaemo, Python, tablet

The PyMaemo team is pleased to announce the second beta release of PyMaemo for Fremantle!

This new release is available through the extras-devel repository, see installation instructions in
http://pymaemo.garage.maemo.org/sdk_installation.html#fremantle

What is it?

Python for Maemo (PyMaemo for short) main objective is to make possible to use Python programming language as the scripting and development language for Maemo Platform, providing a better alternative for fast prototyping and programming in Maemo environment besides the C programming language.

Python is for serious programming and to have fun. Python has a nice syntax, it is easy to learn and powerful enough for a vast range of applications, this is why we choose Python for Maemo.

What has changed?

New packages:

  • python-mafw (0.1-1maemo1)
    • Python bindings for the Media Application Framework [1]
    • Supported API is very basic at the moment, and there are some bugs. Feedback is welcome!
  • python-hildondesktop (0.0.3-1maemo1)
    • Python bindings for the home/status widgets API
  • python-notify (0.1.1-2maemo1)
    • Python bindings for libnotify
  • pyclutter (0.8.0-1maemo2)
    • Python bindings for the Clutter API [2]
    • Experimental package, waiting for developer feedback

Updated packages:

  • gnome-python (2.26.1-1maemo1)
    • major upgrade, matching current Debian testing release;
    • feedback on this is welcome, as it replaces a fairly old version (2.18).
  • pygtk (2.12.1-6maemo7)
    • Enable glade support.
  • python2.5 (2.5.4-1maemo1)
    • Updated to latest upstream 2.5.x release.
    • add support to --install-layout=deb flag.
  • python-central (0.6.11.1maemo1)
    • dependency needed by the new python-setuptools version.
  • python-defaults (2.5.2-3maemo3)
    • Change PREVVER in debian/rules, avoiding old python2.5-minimal versions that had "/usr/bin/python" and thus conflicts with python-minimal.
  • python-hildon (0.9.0-1maemo10)
    • lots of bug fixes
  • python-setuptools (0.6c9-1maemo1)
    • add support to --install-layout=deb flag.

Bugs fixed: MB#4530 [3], MB#4450 [4], MB#4629 [5], MB#4628 [6],
MB#4647 [7], MB#4632 [8],  MB#4646 [9],  MB#4750 [10], MB#4749 [11],
MB#4791 [12]

Known issues

MB#4782 [13]: osso.Context causes segmentation fault
MB#4821 [14]: Cannot create HildonTouchSelector with single text column
MB#4824 [15]: python-mafw: source_browsing.py example does not work
MB#4839 [16]: python-mafw: mafw.Registry lacks list_plugins() method
MB#4849 [17]: python-mafw: MafwPluginDescriptorPublic structure is missing

We will not migrate to python2.6 in fremantle due to a (unresolved) bug (MB#4734 [18]), where a core SDK package explicitly conflicts with python >= 2.6, preventing any further upgrades from the 2.5.x series.

This release is supposed to be compatible with previous releases. If you have any issues regarding building your Python application on Fremantle, feel free to report it on the pymaemo-developers mailing list [19].

Acknowledgments

Thanks to everybody who helped making this release possible.

Bug reports, as always, should go to our Bugzilla [20]. Use the pymaemo-developers mailing list for help, feedback or suggestions.

References

[1] https://garage.maemo.org/projects/mafw/
[2] http://www.clutter-project.org/
[3] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4530
[4] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4450
[5] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4629
[6] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4628
[7] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4647
[8] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4632
[9] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4646
[10] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4750
[11] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4749
[12] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4791
[13] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4782
[14] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4821
[15] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4824
[16] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4839
[17] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4849
[18] https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4734
[19] https://garage.maemo.org/mailman/listinfo/pymaemo-developers
[20] https://bugs.maemo.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=PyMaemo

Credits

This post was possible thanks to Anderson Lizardo, from PyMaemo team, who posted these informations on pymaemo-developers mailing list.


MAFW and Python: asking for developers feedback

Posted on Wed 05 August 2009 in Igalia, Linux, Maemo (EN), Programmazione, Python • Tagged with bindings, fremantle, maemo, mafw, Python

MAFW is a new multimedia framework that will be used in Fremantle.

The PyMaemo team is currently working on writing bindings for Python
language for this library and at the moment we've released a 0.1
version of python-mafw that you can install directly from Scratchbox
repository.

Not all the methods are implemented (you can manage the Registry and
the Playlist, but nothing more), because even if we're using codegen
to generate bindings (and it's helping us a lot), we've seen that at
least 30-40 methods have to be overridden by hand so it's taking us
more time than we expected and we're trying to organize how to
continue this work.

We would like to get feedback from python application developers and
also from C application developers that are currently using MAFW so we
can work on a "roadmap" that reflects what developers want:

  • What are the functionalities you're using in your application that you think they cannot miss in the Python binding?
  • Have you already started using MAFW or even better python-mafw to develop something?
  • What is the currently missing method/methods you would like to be implemented first?

Come on developers! We're waiting for your feedback :)


I officially joined the PyMaemo team

Posted on Sat 25 July 2009 in Igalia, Linux, Maemo (EN), Programmazione, Python • Tagged with bindings, freemantle, Igalia, maemo, Python

This summer I'm working for 2 months at Igalia, a spanish free software company, and they assigned me the project of writing a Python binding for MAFW (a new multimedia library that will be included in Freemantle).

After few days I discovered that PyMaemo team was already working to it, so I asked to join them and they accepted me!

I really love Python language and since I think other developers love it too, I think we should provide good bindings for every library available in Maemo, so lot of developers can start writing their applications in this language.

I'll work to this project full time until the first week of september, so I hope to be able to learn a lot and to contribute as much as I can to this project.

If anyone else want to join PyMaemo team and help us to develop Python bindings, I think he will be welcome!