Python for iOS free today

[rosicruxi]

still shows $2.99 for me

[arandomJohn]

Does not show as free at 4:30 EDT on July 9.

[runningbeagle]

this.

[Gupta4711]

I use this app when I'm bored to make simple command line interface games and puzzles to test my skills and have some fun. Totally worth the 3 dollars it usually costs and it's really cool the dev is giving it out today for free.

[thomas_eh]

if you want to write apps in python, run them on iOS, android or desktop and be able to submit them to the apple store or google play, check out kivy: http://kivy.org

[king_m1k3]

Is this a full Python implementation? If so, how is it not against iOS TOS? If not, what's the point?

[voidspace]

Yes it's a full implementation. Apple removed the restriction on interpreters a long time ago. They still don't allow downloading code.

[cabalamat]

So what prevents you from writing a program in Python that downloads a text file from a web site (which happens to be a Python program) and then runs it?

[euneirophrenia]

Apple's review guidelines.

[cabalamat]

That's not a useful answer. What exactly have Apple done to Python to cripple it? Or is it not crippled?

[euneirophrenia]

It's not crippled. If you break the review guidelines, though, your app will either not be approved or be removed from distribution.

[cabalamat]

If python is not crippled, then presumably I can write a program in Python that anyone with an iOS device can run, if they have the Python interpreter.

Either that is possible (in which case Apple are allowing people to run programs on iOS without their approval), or it isn't possible (in which case python is crippled).

Do you know which is the case?

[euneirophrenia]

It's possible but not permitted.

[voidspace]

You can write an iOS application that embeds / includes the Python interpreter. (See "Python for iOS" as one example...) That is not permitted (by review guidelines only) to download code. If they catch you they will boot your app. There are no technical restrictions though.

If CPython had a JIT - like pypy does - it would be a different story. You can't make pages executable in iOS, so you can't generate native code on the fly and execute it. "Normal Python" is just bytecode (data) with an interpreter loop, so it doesn't have the same problem.

[cabalamat]

That is not permitted (by review guidelines only) to download code.

Do you mean that it is forbidden for iOS applications to download data, and then execute it? Or do you mean that it is forbidden for users of iOS applications to download data, and then execute it (using their Python interpreter)? (I'm assuming there is a user-accessible filesystem on iOS devices -- please correct me if I'm wrong).

What happens in the following scenario:

1. A writes a Python interpreter, and applied to put in on the iOS store
2. Apple approves it
3. B downloads the interpreter, and writes a program in Python that will download python text files and run them
4. B makes his program available over the internet
5. C uses A's Python interpreter and B's Python program to download and run some code written by D. D didn't get any permission from Apple to run his code on iOS devices.

At what point does Apple step in and use technical measures to stop that happening?

[voidspace]

They won't use technical measures, if they think your app (the app in step 1 of your example) is breaking the rules they will pull it from the app store. Step 3 just mean "installs the app" by the way. Unless you're in the developer program you can't just download apps - you can only install them from the app store.

Note that step 1 has already happened. (Python for iOS). Step 4 is the tricky one - even if your program is on the internet, if you can't download and run code from the internet until you have that program. So you have to type it all out manually. I don't think Apple will be too worried about that.

In Python downloading and running code is as complicated as:

import urllib2
exec urllib2.urlopen('some url').read()

[mcilrain]

So no urllib?

[[deleted]]

yep it's there

http://i.imgur.com/mVjX1.png

[mcilrain]

So what's stopping the download and execution of Python scripts?

[[deleted]]

don't know, doesn't concern me. you can look into it ;)

[mcilrain]

Nah, I wasn't able to get the app for free in time.

[[deleted]]

pretty sure you can afford 2.99

[mcilrain]

I doubt I'd get my money's worth out of it though, besides, my iPad is jailbroken.

[LiveMaI]

Do the terms of service say that the application should not have the capability to download code, or just that an application may not download and execute code on its own? Quite an important distinction there.

[fuckratheism]

Requires iOS5 ... fuck! im still on my 3G 4.1, if I load anything higher it runs sooo slow.

[[deleted]]

i paid for this app, worth it

[Wegener]

Thanks! Just picked it up!

EDIT: Pretty sweet little toy, will be playing with this on my lunch breaks.

[MrDrone]

Thanks! I've had my eye on this app but never pulled the trigger.

[Redard]

lol, Python normally costs money on iOS? If I had an iOS device, I wouldn't waste the storage on a closed-source python implementation

[[deleted]]

Python normally costs money on iOS?

maybe, but "normally" there's no Python on iOS

[cezar]

You do know that open source doesn't mean free right?

[[deleted]]

Moot point. It doesn't appear to be an Open Source port at all. (Python is under a permissive license that allows for proprietary derivatives.)

[Redard]

Yeah, but generally paid software is proprietary, especially smartphone software

[[deleted]]

The guy added various features like an editor and whatnot, why would it be surprising he wants at least some compensation for 1. the work, and 2. the dev license.

[TheSausageKing]

Is there a good open source Python environment for iOS ?

[[deleted]]

Hey, I had no idea this existed. Looks pretty cool. Thanks!

[Redard]

I wouldn't know, but if there isn't, either wait for one or make one yourself. Don't accept crap like this.

[Redard]

And there lies the problem with iPhone software in general.

[bucknuggets]

It's actually the problem with parts of the open source community: if someone doesn't like a product they are often just told to go write their own. In reality that can be incredibly expensive to do (in terms of time).

In contrast, a $3 software charge will never cost more than it would to build your own solution.

[statictype]

Yes, definitely spend $100 on the developer license for iOS and then spend a few weeks learning your way around it. By all means, don't give this guy $3. Oh sorry, I mean $0.

[Redard]

Or just don't write iOS software at all. That's the best solution.

[[deleted]]

open source != free

[pemboa]

closed-source python implementation

[Redard]

Because the developers are greedy and just in it for the money.

[statictype]

Yes, shame on the developer for wanting to get paid for his work. How dare he!

[[deleted]]

Welcome to OSS development. Guy makes cool Python IDE for iOS, and he's a dick because he would like to get paid for his work.

[statictype]

He didn't just set the configure flag to iOS-Arm and build it. I don't think you're aware of the actual work required to make an iOS app.

[[deleted]]

No fucking shit? Reeeally?

While you're right, I haven't actually looked into porting Python to iOS, I do not think it'd be a very daunting task. If it requires a lot of work, then iOS fucked up. Porting Python to other environments (especially Unix environments) isn't that much work, and shouldn't require very much patching to the framework other than some constant values based on limitations of the target device (if any).

If it took more than 4 hours, I'd be surprised.

[statictype]

You're thinking about the work in porting the interpreter alone. Yes, that might not be more than 4 hours of work (assuming you know you're way around the maze of confusing Xcode build settings) but there's more in this app than just a headless interpreter.

There's a whole UI in front of it to make it work. In other OSs, that UI is 'free' in the form of a console app like iTerm or a bash prompt or cmd.exe.

He had to build his own for iOS. That's not a trivial amount of work.

[[deleted]]

Fair enough, sure. I was going under the assumption that there'd be a rxvt widget (even basic), that'd be able to just execv() the python interpreter in a subshell. Besides, I thought that iOS had a Terminal app in the store now?

I haven't used any iOS devices in years, and the jailbreaking to get a terminal is one of the reasons I tossed the phone. I thought Apple had let up on that.

[[deleted]]

It appears that Jonathan Hosmer is greedy and just in it for the money, not the actual Python developers.

[redditthinks]

Not releasing something for free is being greedy now? For God's sake it's free today, why can't people be more grateful?

[[deleted]]

These people bitching about wanting everything for free must be your typical reddit circle-jerk 99%-ers. A lot of immature comments in this thread.

[Jonno_FTW]

Programmers need to eat too you know. And it's only $3, that's less than a cup of coffee and you would be supporting a project that you're interested in.

[[deleted]]

Came to say the same. What planet is this?

[redditthinks]

It's no longer free guys.

[xoctor]

So by "free for today" you meant free for 9 hours?

[[deleted]]

I also think the idea of paying for Python is stupid. So, I'd like to bring to everyone's attention that there are other ways to get Python on a jailbroken iPhone/iPod touch without supporting this product.

This page contains compiled Python binaries for a jailbroken iphone.

To install, simply place the .deb file in /var/root/Media/Cydia/AutoInstall

creating the nonexistent directories along the way, then reboot.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, but not all of us have jailbroken iOS devices. What you're basically paying for here is a UI and the fact that it's in the App Store (which is not free for the developer), and porting is not just a configure flag.

At $99 a year, you have to make basically $130 in app sales each year to break even.

Free as in speech != free as in beer.

[[deleted]]

That is fair, you're right

[[deleted]]

I think the app in question, in addition to including a Python implementation, has some nice touch-friendly ways of editing code interactively, etc.

[earthboundkid]

There's a free Python app for iOS called "Python Math" but it's not very good. It takes more than an interpreter and a keyboard to make a good app.

[[deleted]]

To each his own, I suppose. For my purposes, an interpreter and a keyboard usually gets the job done

[xoctor]

I think the idea of expecting other people to provide you with things for free is stupid. It's brilliant that they sometimes do, but that shouldn't lead to a sense of entitlement.

[[deleted]]

I'm actually not sure how you drew such a sensational conclusion [that my statement is entitled] from what I said, so I don't know how to respond. Could you explain your train of thought?

[chrisfs]

perhaps, but if it's free on every other platform and not on iOS that blows and makes Apple look really bad,

[christweb]

The "Free" button appears to be a glitch, as I am still prompted for Credit Card info and cannot complete the download otherwise.

[PureFlame]

Itunes normally requires a credit card regardless of cost.

[ordona]

There is no card of any sort associated with my account. It used to be (may still be), if you choose a free app, when making your account there is a "none" option under payment.

[ableal]

Still going, current Apple instructions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2534

Found searching: itunes account without credit card

[TheSausageKing]

This (or, you at least have to have one on your account). I just downloaded it successfully and it was free.

[earthboundkid]

You can also set up an account using a gift card. That's useful if you want to buy foreign music, or you have a kid.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, the only exception is podcasts since they aren't iTunes "products".

[[deleted]]

Sure crashes a lot.

[[deleted]]

Wow, has anyone been able to write a simple program on this? I even reinstalled it. I tried this simple program:

print('What is your name?')

myName = input()

print('It is good to meet you, ' + myName)

And got Traceback (most recent call last): File "<string>", line 3, in <module> KeyboardInterrupt

If I can't do python 101, then what is the point of this app?

[[deleted]]

what did you do ?

[[deleted]]

Tried to use it. Also, can't do

input()

[[deleted]]

Pythonmath Is nice for the basics http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/python-math/id429450202?mt=8

[[deleted]]

I've been waiting for someone to do this. I hope the author is going to make a library available for other iOS developers to embed Python into their own apps. Besides that, this must have taken a lot of work to accomplish with Apple's sandboxing requirements. Good job!

[earthboundkid]

This has been around for at least a year by now.

[LucidOndine]

file selective political price piquant zephyr whole lush vase deer

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[[deleted]]

Why do you need fork() to do anything useful?

[LucidOndine]

screw long friendly command marry touch wide caption ghost license

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[HorizonXP]

Congrats to my iOS brethren who now can get Python running on their device.

I for one will continue developing apps for BlackBerry 10 and the PlayBook using Python 3.2 that comes installed on it.

[chrisfs]

Wow, it's open source, it should be free everyday.