Mobile Python: Rapid Prototyping of Applications on the Mobile Platform

A.1. Introduction

There are several releases of the S60 platform and they have some important differences. The most important division in the S60 platform is the division between S60 versions older than S60 3rd Edition (also known as S60 3.0) and versions after S60 3rd Edition.

Before S60 3rd Edition, a program written in native code was free to access any functionality available on the phone without asking confirmation from the user or being certified in any way. All programs were considered fully trusted. Once a program was running, it had the opportunity to do anything it wanted, including make the phone inoperable, give the user a large phone bill or spy on the user without their knowledge.

In S60 3rd Edition, the situation has changed with the introduction of a security framework known as Symbian OS Platform Security that limits what software running on the phone can do.

Platform Security is a complex topic and we cannot hope to cover it fully in this appendix. Instead, we will try to gather together in a unified form the parts that are most relevant to the Python for S60 programmer, with emphasis on independent prototype development and experimentation. Readers interested in more details are recommended to consult the documentation on the Symbian Signed website, www.symbiansigned.com and the definitive guide on the topic, [Heath 2006].

The policies followed by device manufacturers and Symbian in matters such as types of developer certificates granted and the actual security ...