Add November 2023 status update.

content/news/buzz/november-2023-status-update/contents.lr

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+title: November 2023 Status Update
+---
+author: Russell Keith-Magee
+---
+body:
+
+November has been a month of focus on the code that enables us to run Python on iOS and Android - but there has still been some other high profile developments in other parts of BeeWare.
+
+What we've done
+----------------
+
+* `PEP730 <https://peps.python.org/pep-0730/>`__, formalizing the introduction of iOS as a Tier 3 platform in CPython, has been `submitted to the Python Steering Council for ratification <https://github.com/python/steering-council/issues/218>`__. 
+
+* One of the major topics covered by the `discussion about PEP730 <https://discuss.python.org/t/pep-730-adding-ios-as-a-supported-platform/35854>`__ was the use of a deprecated compiler argument. This led to some re-examination of how CPython could be delivered on iOS without using that argument. As a result of that discussion, modifications to `use CPython as a dynamically loaded framework <https://github.com/beeware/Python-Apple-support/pull/191>`__ have been prepared. Although the original focus of this work was iOS, the same change will be also used for macOS - which means BeeWare no longer needs to compile a macOS support package (although we will still be lightly re-packaging the official CPython installer).
+
+* We modified Toga's Image APIs so that `Pillow images can be used as source data <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2231>`__.
+
+* We `switched CI testing of Android apps to use a Linux machine <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2230>`__. This wasn't previously possible, because Github didn't expose the necessary permissions in their Linux images; however, now that is *is* possible, our Android tests run up to 5 times faster, and are less likely to be held up in CI because of availability of macOS testing machines.
+
+* We corrected an issue on macOS where an OS-level setting controlling the use of tabs could `cause test failures in the Toga test suite <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2218>`__.
+
+* There have been some extended discussions and draft PRs related to Toga's `Application base class <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2244>`__, and the addition of support for `status icons <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2238>`__. These PRs are still in active development, but they will open up some interesting possibilities for Toga apps when they are completed.
+
+* `Briefcase <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/pull/1550>`__, `Toga <https://github.com/beeware/toga/pull/2229>`__ and `Rubicon ObjC <https://github.com/beeware/rubicon-objc/pull/387>`__ were all modified to use PEP621 metadata, removing the need for ``setup.cfg``, ``setup.py``, and ``MANIFEST.in`` files. As part of this change, we wrote a new `setuptools plugin <https://github.com/beeware/setuptools_dynamic_dependencies>`__ to allow for dependencies to be dynamically defined.
+
+* We modified Briefcase so that `answers to the new project wizard <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/pull/1552>`__ and `values for configuration settings when running commands <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/pull/1542>`__ can be overridden at the command line. This is mostly useful for testing purposes - it's now possible to generate a project and build it against a local template or support package build without needing to modify a ``pyproject.toml`` file or override input handling.
+
+* We refactored the new project wizard so that `support for GUI toolkits is generated by an extensible plugin <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/pull/1524>`__. Although we still ship with support for Toga, PySide, Pygame and PPB, this support is provided through a public interface, allowing other GUI toolkits to provide Briefcase with toolkit-specific modifications to the new project.
+
+* We switched the default Android skin used by Briefcase from the `Pixel 3a device skin to the Pixel 7 skin <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/pull/1554>`__. This is an entirely cosmetic change, but it does mean that screenshots will use a device that looks a little more modern.
+
+* We've made significant progress on the `modifications to Chaquopy to support CPython 3.12 <https://github.com/chaquo/chaquopy/milestone/3>`__. This support will hopefully be released at the same time as the upcoming Android Studio "Hedgehog" release.
+
+* We've made significant progress on running CPython's unit test suite on iOS in a CI configuration. 
+
+What's next?
+--------------
+
+We won't see as much progress as normal in December as a result of the end-of-year holidays. However, before we sign off for the year, we're hoping to start looking at OptionContainer on mobile platforms, and possibly start looking at Camera API support.
+
+Want to get involved?
+-----------------------
+
+Want to get involved? Here are some open issues that would be a great place to get started with contributing to a BeeWare project. They're all relatively minor changes, but would provide a big improvement to the lives of BeeWare users:
+
+1. `Update the Toga testbed test suite to use Pixel 7 Pro device sizes <https://github.com/beeware/toga/issues/2251>`__
+2. `Filter out a message generated after Xcode updates <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/780>`__
+3. `Add the ability to configure the ABIs built by an Android project <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/808>`__
+4. `Rationalise the application of adhoc signing on macOS <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/1099>`__
+5. `Add support for custom PyPI repositories <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/1270>`__
+6. `Document how to debug an application in popular IDEs <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/1393>`__
+7. `Correctly handle incomplete project deletions <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/394>`__
+8. `Add an option to select the Android base image when creating new emulators <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/737>`__
+9. `Print notarisation log failures when building macOS apps <https://github.com/beeware/briefcase/issues/1472>`__
+
+Pick one of these tickets, drop a comment on the ticket to let others know you're looking at it, and try your hand at a PR! We have a `guide on setting up a Briefcase development environment <https://briefcase.readthedocs.io/en/latest/how-to/contribute-code.html>`__; but if you need any additional assistance or guidance, you can ask on the ticket, or join us on the `BeeWare Discord server <https://beeware.org/bee/chat/>`__.
+
+---
+mastodon_handle: @freakboy3742@cloudisland.nz
+---
+pub_date: 2023-12-01