Python for iOS

I do a lot of traveling, and I don't always like to lug my laptop around with me. Even when I do, I'd rather leave it in the bag unless I absolutely need to get it out (or if I'm setting up my mobile workspace). As such, I tend to use my iPhone for just about everything: reading, emails, calendar, etc.

So, imagine my delight, when I found out (just after PyCon this year) that I can now run Python 2.7.2 on my iPhone (and, when I get it, my iPad 3 ;-) ). This is just too cool for words... and given what pictures are worth, I'll use those instead :-)

I've put together a small Flickr set that highlights some of the functionality offered in this app, and each image in the set describes a nifty feature. For the image-challenged, here's a quick list:

• an interactive Python prompt for entering code directly using the iPhone keyboard
• a secondary, linear "keyboard" that one can use in conjunction with the main keyboard, extending one's ability to type faster
• multiple options for working with/preserving one's code (email, saving to a file, viewing command history)

I can't even begin to count the number of times such an awesome Python scratchpad would have come in handy. And now we have it :-) At $2.99, this is a total steal.

Thanks Jonathan Hosmer!

(And thanks to David Mertz for pointing it out to folks on a Python mail list.)