Nokia has released Python for S60 to the open-source developer community, under dual Apache v2 and Python licenses. This follows on last year's launch by Nokia of the Python for S60 platform, which enables the use of the powerful Python programming language on S60-based mobile devices.

"During the past year, the popular developer-friendly features of the Python open-source language have enabled growth of a dynamic community new to mobile development to write applications that are leveraging the potential of S60-based devices," says Lee Epting, vice president, Forum Nokia. "Now, Nokia is extending its commitment to open-source software initiatives and hopes that its contribution of source code back to the Python developer community will drive further enthusiasm and innovations in the development of leading-edge open-source mobile solutions for the rapidly expanding smart-phone market worldwide."

Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python programming language and president of the Python Software Foundation, comments on the decision: "I was excited last year when Nokia announced its port of Python to its advanced phones. I'm even more excited now that Nokia is open-sourcing the port. Opening up the platform makes the phones accessible, and will inevitably lead to cool new application, as well as to third-party improvements to the port itself."

The source code of Python for S60 has been posted at SourceForge, and previous versions are available at Forum Nokia.