This project is aimed to provide a simple, feature-full and totally integrated IDE tool for Python (specifically something similar to Visual Basic classic, knowing its drawbacks and lesson learned after using it). To prevent common pitfalls of Rapid Application Development, this aproach will follow Personal Software Process guidelines to measure and gather metrics in order to help to estimate and improve quality.

The goal of this project is to be as lightweight as possible, with a structure similar to IDLE, but solving its annoyances using a modern GUI toolkit and a web framework, integrating the Python development tool-chain. This work is being done initially as part of an academic research (degree thesis), and it is intended to be used either for educational purposes and in real world commercial applications.

Further information at: http://code.google.com/p/rad2py/

Poster outline

Introduction

• Context: research project for academic degree thesis started in 2006,coding has begun in 2011
• Why is this still relevant and possible: looking for agility and discipline for open source develompent
• Motivation & Objectives: why a new IDE for python?
• Rapid Application Development: risks and "conceptual dispersion"
• Personal Software Process: effectiveness and adoption problem
• Who is Using PSP: Microsoft (India), Adobe, massively introduction in Mexico, agile projects, etc.
• Un-obstructive Metrics recollection: Time and Defect recording logs, LOC accounting

Current similar tools

2nd and 3rd generation PSP tools (Java):

• The Software Process Dashboard: External app (context switching and possible data inaccuracy problems)
• Hackystat open source framework project: Eclipse sensors (privacy concerns, low-level data and complex setup)
• PSP Assistant & "Jasmine" PSP Support tool: Eclipse add-ons (closed source?)

Proposed solution

"4th generation PSP tool": rad2py is a platform (foundations -methodology and process- + framework + tools) including:

• ide2py: integrated IDE with automatic metric collection
• psp2py: web app to track historical data and estimation
• web2py: framework to develop web apps (enhancements required)
• gui2py: framework to develop GUI apps using web2py and wxPython

Implementation

• Python tools and libraries used/inspired by: IDLE / PythonWin, wx.STC, PDB, wx.Py, PythonCard, PyFlakes/PEP8, Py2Exe, etc.
• Why web2py as framework? uniques features that made this possible at this stage
• Why wxpython as gui toolkit? advanced python-made features and interesting alternatives
• Architectural diagram and internal design details

ide2py major modules:

• main.py: AUI/MDI, .ini, PyAUIFrame + mixins
• editor.py: wx.STC: syntaxis, autocompletion, basic calltips
• browser.py: webkit (gtk/linux) or ie (windows)
• shell.py: wx.Py (wx.PyShell): integrated to console and debugger
• debugger.py: bdb, single thread/process (~ IDLE and PythonWin)
• repo.py + repo_hg.py: Mercurial tree + change notifies
• web2py.py: embedded WSGI webserver (mainloop)
• psp.py: defect list, time grid, toolbar (shelve/pickle -> simplejsonrpc)
• wxpydiff.py: integrated visual diff tool

Current Status

• Progress report: Roadmap
• Issues found & lessons learned
• Initial conclusion and topics where help is needed

Field experiments

Projects to be developed to gather metrics for empirical validation:

• PyRece: Electronic invoice application
• Ampatu: 911 emergency mgmnt system
• GestionLibre: Simple ERP system

"Zero Defects" Challenge:

You could help testing this tools and sending statistical data to formally prove the hypothesis of this research regarding that quality software can be developed faster with Python! Also, not only you'll be teaching/learning python, you'll be practising sound software engineering principles to see if you can improve your skills, I bet you will ;-)

Details to be defined

Screenshot:

References

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• [AISEMA09] Irina Diana Coman, Alberto Sillitti, Giancarlo Succi. Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. A case-study on using an Automated In-process Software Engineering Measurement and Analysis system in an industrial environment. Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Software Engineering IEEE Computer Society Washington DC, USA ©2009 ISBN: 978-1-4244-3453-4; http://www.inf.unibz.it/~gsucci/publications/images/ACase-studyonUsinganAutomated In-processSoftwareEngineering.pdf
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