Topics for discussion

25 Jul 2025 - holdenweb

This being an unconference, it’s difficult to predict exactly what topics will be discussed. If that were known in advance, it wouldn’t be an unconference, would it? That being the case, I thought I would throw a few ideas out which interest me. This should not stop others from offering their own ideas, and I sincerely hope it won’t.

I’ve been interested in MicroPython since I supported the very first Kickstarter for the PyBoard about twelve years to go. To assist those who want to play with hardware I plan to bring with me a number of Grove starter kits, which include a Raspberry Pi Pico, a Grove “motherboard” and a bunch of different hardware modules. Because everything plugs together with standard Grove cables there’s no need for breadboarding untidiness.

Recently MicroPython has come to the fore in the web world, as a WASM kernel for the in-browser PyScript implementation. It would be good to get further into this fascinating environment.

I have a historical interest in the governance of the Python world, due to my involvement with the PSF as, inter alia, a one-time director and chairman of the PSF. I’d love to get a sense from those more actively involved that me about where Python communities are going, and whether they are getting the support they need. Open source is now visible enough for talk of governmental support to have begun (albeit by an American corporation attempting to affect the European environment). I want Python to be part of those discussions.

Finally, it would be amazing to be able to work with others to define the capabilities and architecture of a simple forms designer for the Textual system. I’ve already built a cheap-and-cheerful proof-of-concept system as the first iteration of textual-forms, and now I want to get the best advice I can about where to take the current design.

Achieving any one of the above would mean my time at Python by the Sea will have been well spent. Of course it remains to be seen how much time I can carve out in the schedule from the requirements of organising the event. Fingers firmly crossed!