[Qt-interest] The argument for Qt

[Joseph Crowell]

On 10/18/2011 3:32 PM, Stephen Kelly wrote:
> Bob Hood wrote:
>
>> I apologize if this might be a bit off-topic, but I'm looking for some
>> talking points regarding Qt and its future.
>>
>> We used Qt for an unpublished, R&D project, and I am of the opinion that
>> it is the most elegant and comprehensive cross-platform toolkit ever
>> created (so, of
>> course, I am rather biased ;).  I've been trying to make the case to use
>> Qt as a replacement for the toolkit in our commercial product, which is a
>> hand-rolled system that is just too old anymore to keep up with our
>> evolving needs.
>>
>> The argument I keep coming up against is that Qt's future is uncertain for
>> the desktop, and that we don't want to put ourselves in a hole with it as
>> a
>> result.  There are rumors (probably true) that Nokia will be terminating
>> Qt development by the end of the year, and it is this sticking point that
>> I am having a hard time getting past.
> Where did you come accross this? Doesn't seem to match with the meltimi
> rumours.
>
>> I have pointed out that it is open source, but that just begets moans and
>> eye rolls -- perfect justifiable in my opinion, given some of our
>> experience with
>> using open source to maintain a commercial product.  So that's probably
>> not a good point to keep making.
> Being open source or (Free) doesn't automatically make software better of
> course. There's a critical mass of developers-who-care-enough that need to
> be reached.
>
> Some proprietary code and products are also quite rubbish. 'Open source' on
> it's own speaks nothing about quality.
>
> It does speak about longevity though, where the developers-who-care-enough
> metric has already been met. I don't have enough information about whether
> it has been met with Qt yet. The first year of open governance will tell us
> that I guess.
>
>> I have pointed out that the commercial end of the business is being
>> handled by Digia, and since we actually maintain a license, we are being
>> serviced by
>> Digia and its support /at this very moment/.  Not enough.
> Why is that not enough? Not enough information about digias commitment to
> Qt? There are other Qt-expert companies capable of providing support (I work
> for KDAB, though I don't speak for KDAB :) ).
>
>> I have pointed to Qt's "open governance" as a move to protect it from the
>> corporate "chaos" and ensure that it remains an open, viable and
>> maintained
>> toolkit.  Again, not enough.
> Why is this not enough? Is it because open governance is so far not prooven
> in action?
>
>> Is there anything more I can site that I haven't?
> The use of Qt in the industry is not shrinking. New industries might be
> picking it up now (automotive).
>
> As Scott says, we don't know what 2012 will hold, but it makes more sense to
> work with Qt now than to start with .Net IMO.
>
I happen to know for a FACT that John Deere is developing a new 
interface for the control of its GPS guided tractors using Qt. I was 
just considered for a job on a team doing this. How many applications in 
the 3D content creation market place use Qt right now? How many car 
embedded systems use Qt and how many are picking it up? Qt works 
perfectly fine on android and the team that did the port is hoping to be 
joined to the main line under open goverance. KDE is not losing ground 
to gnome. It is gaining ground rapidly.

Qt can still work on Windows Phone. How? A third party makes a port and 
joins it to main line. Nokia didn't do it. Their hands are clean as far 
as their contract with Microsoft.

Qt is not about to die. If there are any rumors about Qt being dropped, 
I bet they come from Redmond, Virginia. And they are just that. Rumors.

Qt is the perfect tool kit to use right now BECAUSE it is not limited to 
desktop development. Qt is perfect because it fits the Agile philosophy 
that most large development projects are moving to. Qt IS at its very 
core agile because it is works in just about any direction your 
application can take.
>
>
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