Trolltech announced the release of Qt version 3.2. the popular C++ multiplatform application framework. According to Trolltech, the new version of Qt includes hundreds of enhancements and features that enable developers to build high-performance, low maintenance multiplatform applications.

Key features of Qt 3.2 are said to include . . .

• The SQL support in Qt 3.2 includes drivers for IBM's DB2, complete support for stored procedures, and improved connection parameters.
• The addition of Indic script input and rendering means that Qt 3.2 now supports all major script-based languages, including advanced languages such as Hindi and Bengali.
• Qt 3.2 now includes a completely re-written, faster font rendering engine
• Qt Designer now has a visual menu editor, and enhanced support for adding complex, custom container widgets (such as custom tab widgets). Qt Designer also features improved ActiveQt integration.
• Qt Motif integration has been enhanced by additional documentation and code samples. This integration, originally released in Qt 3.1, allows gradual migration of complex legacy applications written in Motif to Qt.
• Qt Assistant has been has been made more customizable. Developers can integrate Qt Assistant into their applications to provide a powerful a help system.
• The Qt library now also includes several new classes, including:
  • QSplashScreen (add splash screens to applications)
  • QToolBox (a toolbox that provides a column of tabbed widgets)
  • QThreadStorage (thread data storage support)
  • The QLineEdit widget now supports input masks in addition to validators

“The core design goal of Qt is to ensure that the development platform is stable and robust,” said Eirik Aavitsland, Qt product manager. “When developing Qt 3.2, we wanted to ensure that the base platform was rock solid, then we focused on new features. We have added a few very important features, such as DB2 drivers and support for Indic writing systems, but Qt 3.2 is mostly about stability and performance.”

Qt supports creating applications that run natively on Windows, Linux/Unix, and Mac OS X — from a single codebase. Qt is released under two licenses: a Commercial License, for building commercial software, including software that is not sold but that advances the business goals of a commercial enterprise; and a Free License, for building freely distributed, noncommercial software for Unix/Linux.

Trolltech also offers a version of Qt for embedded systems, called Qt/Embedded.

 
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