Wiley.Mobile.Python.Rapid.prototyping.of.applications.on.the.mobile.platform.Dec.2007 (779889), страница 3
Текст из файла (страница 3)
In addition, they have learned effective ways to teachus to accomplish similar things. They have taught these capabilities tomany groups, small and large. As a result, this book is very user-friendlyand also very effective. There are many examples and many trial scriptsfor us to create and immediately apply in order to learn by doing.Thank you so much for all your hard work and for giving us thisintellectual gift, Jürgen and Ville!Eric von HippelCambridge, MA, USAJune 20071Introduction and BasicsThis practical hands-on book introduces the Python programming language for rapid prototyping of mobile device applications.
It effectivelyteaches how to program easily on Nokia smartphones that are based onSymbian OS and the S60 platform. A wide range of smartphone functionalities are covered, including camera, sound, graphics, Bluetooth,Internet, positioning, SMS messaging and many more.Mobile Python – or, more formally, Python for S60 (see Figure 1.1) –empowers you to do fun and engaging stuff with your mobile phone.You can start programming shortly after getting into this book.
Being ableto see results quickly on the phone guarantees to bring inspiration andmakes programming these gadgets fun!Figure 1.1 Python for S602INTRODUCTION AND BASICSDevelopment on the Symbian platform has been time-consuming inthe past and it has required in-depth knowledge of C++ or Java. Pythonfor S60 remedies this problem. It is easy to learn and takes only a few daysto get into most of its features.
Novice programmers, artists and peoplefrom creative communities can innovate and contribute applications tothe mobile space.Python for S60 brings the increasingly popular Python programminglanguage to the mobile platform. You can use this book to learn thePython programming language by way of Python for S60 or use yourprevious Python knowledge to get into mobile programming in no time.Similar to traditional Python, Python for S60 is released under an opensource license, so you will be backed up by an enthusiastic communityof talented developers and a large library of extension modules.Python for S60 allows you to go through a fast iterative design cycle byproviding an elegantly simple but powerful platform for your programs,which can be rapidly adapted to real-world requirements.
With completely free and open tools you are able to create useful and appealingapplications based on your own ideas.Our message to all you creative and innovative people out there is:use your talent, skills, ideas and energy to inspire the world! May thisbook help you to do so!Although the book is written in a style that beginners can cope with, ithopefully also offers experienced programmers new insights and in-depthknowledge. It is not a traditional programming text book with meticulouscoverage of every aspect of a programming language. Instead it adoptsa light and engaging tone that helps the reader to proceed through thechapters in a practical hands-on manner, steadily increasing knowledgethrough learning by doing.The material in this book has been reformulated and refined throughdozens of workshops and tutorials offered by the authors at a widevariety of institutions and companies across 17 countries, includingMIT, Stanford University, the University of Art and Design, Helsinki,and Yahoo Research, Berkeley.
Among the hundreds of applicationscreated by participants in these events are games for social interaction;applications for interacting with large public displays, sensors or robots;and personal organizer applications. This book is intended to broadenthe audience for these kinds of applications even further, enabling you tocreate new mobile applications that may have seemed to be out of your,or anyone’s, reach before.We have used the book’s material to build many applications andprototypes for companies such as Nokia. We have also helped several universities around the globe to conduct research projects onrobotics, sensor networks, positioning and data collection using Pythonfor S60.WHY DOES PYTHON MAKE A DIFFERENCE?3Mobile phones are carried by over two billion people – far more thanthe 200 million who carry laptop computers.
Despite the greater penetration of mobile phone users, the number of mobile phone programmersis far lower than the number of people who have learned to programpersonal computers. This book aims to change that.There is no doubt that the built-in features of mobile phones haveempowered a generation of people to connect with others more effectivelythan ever before.
However, these standard applications are just scratchingthe surface with respect to unleashing the true creative potential of ourculture. We can expect to see a user-driven innovation era and usergenerated mobile applications are in the near reach. This book is inspiredby [von Hippel 2005] and lays out a practical path for how innovationdriven by lead users can become a reality on the mobile platform.By reading this book, you will become fully equipped to be one ofthe new lead users. You may gain inspiration and motivation that turnsyou into an innovator and a contributor to the developer community formobile applications.1.1 Why Does Python Make a Difference?Only skilled and experienced programmers were previously able to buildmobile applications using C++ or Java.
As a result, many people oftengave up early or never really started.The emergence of Python for S60 offers a crucial turning point, as itbrings the Python programming language to the mobile space. This makesmobile development approachable for many new developers that werepreviously excluded.Python for S60 can drastically reduce development time; it allowsdevelopment with completely free and open tools and reuse of opensource code modules. This can potentially lower costs and other barriersto entry for first-time developers of mobile applications.With Python running on Symbian OS, the short development cyclegives a shortcut from the inspiration of an idea to its implementation.It makes rapid prototyping on the mobile platform easy and efficient bywrapping complex, low-level technical details in simple interfaces.In recent years, the processing power and memory capacity of smartphones have drastically advanced which have made it possible to run aninterpreted language such as Python on such devices.Modern smartphones offer a rich set of features, including WiFi,camera, sound recording and networking that could easily be combinedand used for new types of applications.
As this book shows, Python forS60 makes accessing these features extremely convenient, letting youfocus on your own application idea instead of on the intricacies of theplatform.4INTRODUCTION AND BASICSThe mobile space and the Internet are rapidly converging. Client–serversolutions can be developed quickly in Python for S60 in combinationwith a web services back end, such as Django or Ruby on Rails, or usinga custom server, which could also be implemented in Python.
Being ableto use a single agile language, and even some of the same code, on boththe client and the server is a great benefit. Chapter 8 deals with advancedtopics in networking, such as peer-to-peer communication and turningyour mobile phone into a web server. Chapter 9 is dedicated to combiningweb services, such as Yahoo! Maps and Flickr, with Python for S60.1.2 How to Use this BookWith a simple text editor and a Nokia smartphone, you can instantly codeand test working applications found in this book. You will learn thingsby running small yet fully working programs on the actual phone to seewhat they do and then study and modify them on your computer.
Byexperiencing the hands-on coding style and ready-to-use programs, youcan soon feel success that keeps you inspired throughout the book.This book includes over 100 example programs that demonstrate different aspects of the mobile platform. The code for all example programscan be downloaded for free from www.mobilepythonbook.com. Some ofthe programs are small scripts that show you how to automate tasks, suchas sending SMS messages; some are full-scale applications with graphicaluser interfaces. The examples are designed in such a way that they oftenbuild on each other, which makes learning easier through repetition.Most of the examples demonstrate a specific functionality, so they areshort and easy to understand – the median length of examples is just 17lines of code! However, many of the examples are not just for playingaround but are already usable solutions in their own right.The examples in this book are designed to be combined, modifiedand enhanced by your own ideas.
![](https://s.studizba.com/z.php?f=/templates/si/i/noavatar.png&w=100&h=100&t=1"){kind=avatar}
