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Real-time patches going into Linux kernel

One of the most common concerns I hear when talking about Linux on mobile devices, is the lack of true real-time support. Perhaps this will be a step in the right direction: “Linux kernel gains new real-time support” (linuxdevices.com)

(via “Linux Kernel Goes Real-Time” on slashdot)

Open position at Nokia in Austin, TX for a Python/Java developer

For all the Pythonistas, there’s a publicly-listed position open at Nokia’s Austin, TX office:

Software Engineer:

The Software Engineering position will be responsible for development of software analysis tools within an Integrated Development Environment. The candidate will be required to design/develop static analysis models within Python that provide expression parsing and design pattern matching of Symbian OS applications and various UI environments, including UIQ and Series 60. Integration of the analysis tools within a Java based integrated development environment will be required through the development of application plugins. The candidate will be working in a fast paced software development environment that is very customer focused and is able to adapt features to meet customer requirements within planned product release cycles.

A couple thoughts to help interpret the above description:

• You won’t be starting from scratch.
• “A Java based integrated development environment” means Eclipse.
• If you’re not familiar with what the Austin office does, check out the “Creating Carbide.c++ Blog.”

In case the link to the job posting doesn’t work, try starting from the Nokia Careers page, which is either: <http://careers.nokia.com/> or <http://www.nokia.com/careers>.

Take note: If you’re interested in the position, contacting me isn’t the way to go. Follow the link to the job description and click the “Apply” button. Even if you know people in the office, you need to apply online to officially become a candidate.

PyS60 3.1.11 released

Python for S60 version 3.1.11 was released today! More details can be found on the PyS60 Discussion Board, and the installers and source can be downloaded from the PyS60 project on SourceForge.

Ruby for Symbian

This isn’t a Nokia project, but a friend pointed me to Ruby for Symbian today:

“Ruby for Symbian is [...] the Ruby interpreter built for Symbian OS. Though the Series 60 devices are the main focus, more Symbian platforms could also be supported. The eventual goal is integration into mainline Ruby distribution.”

From the single screenshot on the site, it looks like the project is in an early stage, focusing just on getting an interpreter running (ie., no GUI or native API bindings.) I suppose then, it’s much like the Symbian Perl project in that case. But still, it’s promising to see it happening!

While we’re talking about agile/dynamic languages, Python 2.5 (FINAL) was released today (see What’s New in Python 2.5 for details), and it looks like Komodo 4.0 a5 was released this week as well!

PyS60 in Africa

I’ve heard from a number of University groups doing work with Python for S60 (PyS60), but the Entrepreneurial Programming and Research on Mobiles program though the University of Nairobi and MIT is perhaps the most inspiring. The program’s first course, “Mobile Application Prototyping with Python” is being taught to students with little to no programming experience, in hopes that this education can lead to economic growth for poor communities.

During the development of PyS60, it didn’t take long to see that Universities were going to be a huge early-adopter of mobile Python, but the idea that someone’s first experience programming a computer could be with PyS60 is truly heart warming.

In other PyS60 news, the S60 Multimedia Blog has a post titled, “Manhattan Story Mashup“, with quotes from the behind-the-scenes development of the real, “Manhattan Story Mashup” project, which was developed in Python. I love quotes like, “I have spent only some 2-3 weeks implementing the client in total. Almost like magic.”

Finally, I wanted to mention Teemu’s new PyS60 app, Fupper, a Flickr uploadr for S60 phones.

More PyS60 goodies

Just a couple quick links for today:

• The Official Python for S60 Wiki has launched!
• “Mobile Multimedia Mashups” — Oren (Nokia multimedia guru) has posted some PyS60 source code (and screenshots) of a demo application he wrote for accessing Audioscrobbler from a mobile phone.

Python for S60 3rd Edition… finally

It’s finally out. See Jukka’s post: “Python for S60 3rd Edition” on the discussion boards!

GPS + Compass for location-aware mobile search

Found this nice piece on an application of geo-aware (location based) mobile search:

What’s that? In Japan, phone has answer

“If you stand on a street corner in Tokyo today, you can point a specialized cellphone at a hotel, a restaurant or a historical monument, and with the press of a button the phone will display information from the Internet describing the object you are looking at.”

The technology is a combination of GPS + compass + internet connectivity. With the GPS chip on-board, the phone knows where it is, and with the compass it can tell which direction you are facing. Using that information, the phone can perform a very accurate location-based search.

It would be interesting to combine this technology with what the ZoneTag folks are doing on location-based image recognition. It’s pretty easy to imagine mobile devices that can tell exactly what you are looking at, translate signs, give directions, and pull in community feedback to help navigate and explore the world. Anyone who’s experienced the joy of wandering foreign cities can appreciate the value in having your mobile keep an eye out for restaurants and activities nearby that you won’t want to miss!