Fetchinson . writes:
Hi all, maybe the best list would be python-dev
No, this is the right place if you eventually want to get Python-Dev involved. It's not obvious that's the right thing to do, though, since that list's primary development environment (for the interpreter) is C. Android might work better with a Jython derivative, and I don't know what would be the right environment to develop for iOS. So perhaps mobile platforms would develop as independent implementations of Python-the-Language like Jython or IronPython, rather than as a branch of CPython. Also, as Sturla points out, it might be better to use something like Cython.
So my question is this: is there a coherent mobile strategy among core dev people?
Not yet. Until recently (say a couple years ago), Apple officially forbid use of non-blessed languages on iDevices. Android was a little more friendly in principle but there are stringent restrictions for security reasons that require rethinking concepts that involve interactions with the OS. These mobile ports hardly get mentioned on python-dev or on this list.
Or there are some issues which preclude this from the start?
I think there are a lot of people who would like to see something solid. But AFAICS the problem is more the lack of interest (ie, no promise that something that works today will work tomorrow) from the OS vendors than the lack of interest from core, plus the resources constraints Sturla mentions, which I suppose would make programming Python on a mobile device less fun. That would also help explain the proliferation of different implementations, as each would have its own approach to working around the resource restrictions. So I would say there's no "preclusion", but it's an uphill road for now.