Sounds interesting and a worthwhile exercise. For me Python is very different because its not pre-installed on handsets and is a large installation for people. So, until Python is pre-installed it cannot be used for consumer based products. However, we would like to use it.

As for Java and Flash we use both for the same Mobizine product on different phones models - so we have clear experience of a direct comparison. We started with a Flash-Lite/C++ version of our product, but have spent 18 months developing the Java variant. The reality is the two versions look remarkedly similar but it has taken 18 months. Flash-Lite is still a great environment for creating a user experience that looks good quickly. The combination with C++ is far more powerful than Java. However, Java is getting better all the time. Our product involves pushing content to the device which can be done using the Java Registry - however, the implementation of the security model for the Java Registry is flawed on most handsets and we can only use it on some other manufacturers handsets - real shame.

Thanks for the first-hand developer comments, Robin!
When you tallk about flawed PushRegistry, are you talking about the user interaction needed on Series 40 devices or something else?

Hartti

I have not done any development in these environments yet, but for me some two aspects that I have been wondering about in the past would be:

- Ability to produce Style Guide-compliant GUIs - i.e. will my applications *really* look like they are part of the phone?

- Symbian Signed/PlatSec relationship - does my content need signing, and how does this related to the list of features I can use. Is it equivalent to a self-signed application, or does it vary depending on per-application capabilities just as for a C++ application?

ciao marcus

Marcus,

Good point, I had not yet thought the style guide -compliant UI capabilities at all! Thanks!
And ditto for the platform security. I have to include these points in the presentation.

Hartti

[Edit: nice to know that in order to be able to edit your own entry you have to remove the entry and rewrite the whole entry again....]

Ciao Hartti,

I think an interesting exercise would be to create a simple application with the 3 technologies and then compare pros and cons.

Alessandro

Of course the pros and cons would depend a lot on what the application intends to do. I have been playing around this in my mind, but so far I have not come up with any good (non-partial) application for this :-)

Hartti

Definitly an interesting point: which runtime for what ?

But the problem I see here is the limitation you put: considering only S60 doesn't help Java ME! May be you could consider a part of extension to explain another good (very good) point of this technology, which is the large portability amongst devices (would it be only for the S40, on which it has been the only way to add third part apps for a long time)

Good point. I was sort of planning to bring this up anyway (even though the main focus is in S60).The potential market size is important to the developers and definitely Java ME has the largest potential market size of all three.

Hartti

So what was the outcome? Did you manage to do a comparison and create a presentation? Can you share the results?