Trolltech has released new versions of its application frameworks for PC desktops and Linux devices. Respectively, Qt 4.3 mainly gains support for native Windows Vista application development, while Qtopia Core 4.3 gains a new font system and better 3D graphics support, among other enhancements.

Qt is a desktop application development framework aimed at enabling users to compile binaries for Windows, Mac, and Linux OSes from a single codebase. Its API (application programming interface comprises about 400 C++ class libraries.

Qtopia Core (formerly “Qt/Embedded”) offers the same full desktop API as Qt; however, unused libraries are excluded at compile time, resulting in a typical footprint from 1 to 3 MB compressed, or 2.5 to 6 MB uncompressed, according to Trolltech. The company claims Qtopia Core to be the “leading application framework for single-application devices powered by embedded Linux.”

Qtopia Core includes user interface components

The v4.3 release of Qt mainly adds support for Windows Vista styles, controls, and animations, enabling Qt developers to create applications that “look and feel at home” when run on Vista, Trolltech said.

Other touted improvements, for both Qt and Qtopia Core, include:

• QtScript: An integrated ECMA standard (Javascript) scripting engine based on ECMA Standard 262
• Added support for Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communications
• Better, faster 3D graphics rendering with an improved OpenGL and OpenGL ES (embedded subset) engine
• Flexible Main Window architecture
• Ability to both render and generate SVG vector graphics images with new SVG file generation

Availability

Qt 4.3 Desktop Edition and Qtopia Core 4.3 are available now, in commercial as well as open source versions.

 
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