[Qt-interest] State of iOS support?

[Constantin Makshin]

Yes, unlike GPL, LGPL doesn't require you to provide the source code of your application. But AFAIR one of its requirements is that your users must be able to replace your version of a LGPL library with their one. So you can do one of the following:
1) use dynamic linking so users can simply replace your libraries (.dll, .so, etc.) with their ones;
2) provide source OR object (.obj, .o, etc.) files so users can recompile/relink your code with their libraries.

As (1) is, in general, much simpler for both developers (no need to provide any code, binaries are somewhat less compiler-dependent than object files) and users (no need to recompile/relink the whole application, just replace .dll/.so/... files with binary-compatible ones), LGPLed libraries are usually used that way.

On Wednesday, August 03, 2011 07:42:56 PM Jason H wrote:
> I was not aware that the LGPL forced that. In fact, it is my understanding that LGPL was made to prevent that behavior of GPL. LGPL only covers the library code itself.
> 
> Also Linus Torvolds said that static linking was acceptable for the GPL linux kernel. RMS disgrees, so as to the GPL there is some ambiguity there on what a "derivative work" is.
> 
> I think LGPL and thus Qt, is ok with static linking. 
> (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/439136.html:
> Q1: Can the LGPL library be used in that situation?
> A1: Yes, if you comply with the license requirements. Note that much
> of the license compliance is not in the building (or your use) of the
> application but in the distribution [LGPL 9] of the LGPL library
> [primarily] and your application [secondarily]. 
> )
> 
> The only thing pointed out in that thread is "2.17 Apps that browse the web must use the iOS WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript" which does not apply to this app. However, I wonder how Opera does it on iOS because Opera (desktop) has been Qt-based.
> 
> ________________________________
> From: qtnext <qtnext at gmail.com>
> To: Jason H <scorp1us at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Qt Interest <qt-interest at qt.nokia.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 11:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [Qt-interest] State of iOS support?
> 
> I have also lot of demands for ios and android ... Android seems in
>     a good way (I hopes that google or Nokia will not find a way to not
>     let it do) .. for ios it seems that the problem is more commercial
>     (apple nokia) than real technical trouble : http://developer.qt.nokia.com/forums/viewthread/7271/
> 
> I hopes that in near future It will be possible to have a ios qt
>     application.
> 
> My first question about that : Is it allow with Qt LGPL (is there
>     some nokia exception to allow this) to build apps with Qt Linked
>     statically ?
> 
> I think we are lot of people waiting for a Qt way to build android,
>     ios apps 
> 
> Le 03/08/2011 17:04, Jason H a écrit : 
> "Marge, it happened again!" - Homer Simpson.
> >
> >I got another request for an iOS app. I checked out the sourceforge page & mailing list, but there have been zero posts to the mailing list in 2011.
> >
> >Since Android is doing so well, I was wondering how the iOS support is shaping up?
> >
> >What I can't read from the commits is how complete and stable it is. Does anyone have any experience with it? Also, I am looking at a QML app on iOS. Anyone got one published in the app store?
> >
> >Thanks.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 490 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part.
Url : http://lists.qt-project.org/pipermail/qt-interest-old/attachments/20110803/851b4909/attachment.bin