[Qt-interest] Qt as true mobile multi-platform framework.

[Constantin Makshin]

On Tuesday 02 November 2010 07:51:26 Paulo Silva wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I was wondering if it even possible to image that one day Qt could be a
> multi-platform framework, where one would develop one and deploy everywhere.
> By everywhere I mean also iPhone and Android. Much like:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_phone_web_based_application_framework
> 
> I do think that Nokia would not like that and therefore would not invest
> into it.
> Unless, since symbian is apparently dying, they change to android instead of
> that other vaporware platform that I can't remember the name.
Is that platform's name "Samsung Bada"? :)

> Even then the iPhone support should be far from a possibility (I guess).
> 
> Any opinions?
Qt already works on most desktop platforms, Symbian (Symbian^3 has Qt available out-of-the-box, Symbian^4 is going to replace numerous old GUI libraries with Qt), [dead] Windows Mobile (AFAIK, native applications are no-no on Windows Phone 7, so it's unlikely that Qt will be available there), Maemo and MeeGo. There are unofficial ports of Qt to Android and iPhone.

Looking at that list, I'd say Qt is already [one of] the most portable toolkit[s]. From my experience of using Qt on mobile platforms I can say that most difficulties are caused by physical/hardware limitations of mobile devices (small screens, input methods, etc.) you have to cope with and not software ones.

So, I think, Qt can be called "true multi-platform framework" (the word "mobile" is omitted intentionally).

> Paulo