:DELETE:BEGIN B.2 Relevance to the objectives of the IST Priority Describe the manner in which the proposed project's goals address the scientific, technical, wider societal and policy objectives of the IST Priority in the areas concerned. (Recommended length ­ three pages) Information for this section comes from several main sources - 1. Each Workprogram and the Commission specific program documents identify and address the policy needs to a certain extent. The introductory sections of the Workprogram for IST 2003/4 contains good reference material. http://www.cordis.lu/ist/istag-reports.htm 2. Via the Europa web site, http://europa.eu.int there is information on all EU policies and they can be identified and downloaded from there. For example we have the following ­ Policies - Access by subject to legal instruments in force, legislative activity in progress, implementation of common policies, EU grants and loans, statistics and publications. 3. There is also good material under eEurope initiatives and at the ISPO (information Society Project Office) site. You must also address where appropriate ERA related issues such as relationships to any Eureka activities, (such as commonality of partners) or relationships to national research programs. -------------------------------------- :DELETE:END Relevance to the Objectives of the IST Priority -------------------------------------------------- The PyPy project will build a flexible, modular, context-aware implementation of the Open Source programming language Python. In doing so it will take advantage of the known European strengths in formal methods and languages outlined in the June 2002 report: 'IST Advisory Group Software Technologies, Embedded Systems and Distributed Systems: A European strategy towards an Ambient Intelligent Environment'. It will go beyond the state of the Art in computer languages, and produce a runtime system which is much better suited for the development and deployment of networked, embedded, and mobile devices than any existing language available today. In doing so it will adhere to the syntax of the popular programming language, thus requiring no re-training for the tens of thousands of European Python programmers. To improve an existing programming language with the explicit goals of making it more suitable for European industry can only have a positive effect on European competitiveness. Since Python is widely used as a 'first programming language' and has been very successful as a language to be taught to non-programmers, particularily women, increasing the demand for Python in the IT marketplace in general can also have a limited effect in promoting social cohesion and gender equality. (See section 7 where this is expanded at great length). Because PyPy will be released as Open Source, it will contribute towards the goals of openness and trust. Because Python is the most widely used European-designed computer language, (its development started in 1990, at CWI, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in the Netherlands) it will strenghten our leadership in the area of innovative language design, and increase world-wide awareness of this fact. Thus PyPy is position to be at the heart of the knowledge economy and provide a viable alternative to American closed source language monopolies, while increasing innovation and competitiveness in European businesses and industry and to contributing to the greater well-being of all European citizens. :DELETE:BEGIN 2.1 Relevance to the IST Workprogramme The IST thematic priority will contribute directly to realising European policies for the knowledge society as agreed at the Lisbon Council of 2000, the Stockholm Council of 2001, the Seville Council of 2002, and as reflected in the e-Europe Action Plan. The main targets of IST in FP6 are - solving 'trust and confidence' problems so as to improve dependability of technologies, infrastructures and applications. :DELETE:END Relevance to the IST Workprogramme ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PyPy can contribute to this goal because it is an Open Source language. Open Source programs are more widely trusted than proprietary alternatives because they are transparent. Any person having any doubts or questions about the technology can simply read the code and find out what it does, unlike with a closed-source language where one can only hope. Moreover, Python is an extremely readable language. Readability was one of its design goals. This makes maintaining Python programs substatially easier than similar program in less readable languages. It is the maintainability of computer programs which most directly effects their actual and perceived reliability. - strengthening social cohesion by providing efficient, intelligent and easy to use systems. A primary design goal of Python was to be easier for non-programmers and non-technical people to learn. If the devices of the future were programmed in Python, even if they were done so simply for reasons of economic competitiveness, there could be greater participation by all memebers of society simply because there is less of a language barrier. - enabling sustainable growth and improving competitiveness both of large and small businesses as well as the efficiency and transparency of governments. Firstly, governments have been embracing Open Source in recent times in a big way. To the extent that they will demand programs developed in an Open Source Language, for reasons of transparency, reliability, and national security they will benefit from the existence of PyPy as an Open Source language choice. Secondly, a driving force in this proposal is the Swedish SME AB Strakt, whose new product, *CAPS Upphandling*, is a full-featured, transparent, government procurement system promoting the efficiency of government throughout the tender process. AB Strakt is interested in PyPy in large part because it will improve its commercial government offering. Thirdly, the PyPy Consortium includes the Python Business Forum, an international trade association of SMEs who develop using the Python programming language. Since SMEs are the main engines for innovation, growth, and competitiveness in the IT sector, by supporting these SMEs, and improving the language they use to develop one can directly have a positive effect on competitiveness. Moreover, syngeries can be developed between the SMEs and academia, and SME and the large industrial players whom we haven't signed on board yet, sigh. - harnessing the computing and knowledge management resources across Europe and bringing them to the desktop of any researcher, engineer or other end user. Open source standards increase interoperability, which make such resources easier to share. Again, quoting from the IST workprogramme, this requires progress in three main technology building blocks: - pushing the limits of miniaturisation and minimising the costs and power consumption of microelectronic components and micro-systems. Smaller systems need software developed in languages that have a small footprint. PyPy will be there. - developing mobile, wireless, optical and broadband communication infrastructures as well as software and computing technologies that are reliable, pervasive, interoperable and can be adapted to accommodate new applications and services. Europe's strengths both in communication technologies and in embedded software and systems provide a clear opportunity to lead and contribute to the development of the next generation of products and services. The development of open standards and open source software will be encouraged when appropriate to ensure interoperability of solutions and to further innovation. This is PyPy in a nutshell. An Open Source language that can be adapted to accomodate new applications and services. - Developing user friendly interfaces which are intuitive, can interpret all our senses such as speech, vision and touch and that understand our gestures and various languages. This should be coupled with more powerful and flexible knowledge technologies that are semantic-based and context-aware. They should prepare for the next generation Web and make access to, and creation of digital content more effective and more creative. Now we need to talk about synergies with the Direct Info/Semantic Web project that DKFI is also involved with. Alistair needs to write this bit. Also, I have missed some parts, and Nicolas needs to write a bit about constraint programming. :DELETE:BEGIN 2.2 European Dimension :DELETE:END European Dimension ++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't know what to say here. :DELETE:BEGIN 2.3 Links and Complimentary with Other Programmes :DELETE:END Links and Complimentary with Other Programmes +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Direct Info/Semantic Web, correct? :DELETE:BEGIN 2.4 Contribution to Community Social Objectives :DELETE:END Contribution to Community Social Objectives +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't know what to say here, either. Have I said it already? 2.5 Contributiuon to EC Policies ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There will be transfer of knowledge from research to industry through the participation of software developing SMEs. Thus the SMEs in the project will benefit from the cutting-edge, high level research results. Since the SMEs are in a hurry to commercialise products which use this research, the academics will see that their research is not wasted -- locked into tiny languages which have little effect outside of the academic community. A specialising Just in Time Compiler for Python, designed for the use of networked and embedded systems will have immediate effect in reinforcing European dominance in this demanding competitive field, and thus contribute to the employment of people in desirable jobs in a rapidly growing field.