Nokia has created the official Qt port to Maemo 5, its Linux-based mobile platform. The company said that this port to Maemo 5 means that developers can now use Qt to target the upcoming Nokia N900 device and also ensures that applications can be ported to all Qt’s supported platforms including the next Maemo 6 release as well as Symbian and Windows Mobile.
Reportedly, Qt is a cross-platform application development framework based on C++, used for the development of GUI programs (in which case it is known as a widget toolkit), and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as console tools and servers. Produced by Nokia’s Qt Development Frameworks division, it is used in KDE, Google Earth, Skype, Qt Extended, Adobe Photoshop Album, VirtualBox and OPIE.
The Qt port to Maemo 5 is designed specifically to work within the Maemo 5 environment, which will power the upcoming Nokia N900 device. The port itself will be based on Qt’s upcoming version 4.6 and is scheduled for final release in the first quarter of 2010.
According to Nokia, this port of Qt will incorporate the community-driven ‘Qt for Maemo’ project that was created as result of substantial contributions and enhancements.
The company added that the community project provided a foundation for building the official port, and because of the open nature of the project, it was able to base the official port on this code. The change from a community port to an official port was necessary to ensure that applications developed with Qt will be compatible with both future versions of Qt, future versions of Maemo, and Symbian and the other platforms Qt supports.
Sebastian Nystrom, vice president of application services and frameworks at Nokia, said: With this announcement and our upcoming port of Qt to the Symbian platform, we will quickly see Qt established as a leading framework for mobile application development.
“Qt’s support for Maemo 5, Maemo 6, Symbian, as well as Windows Mobile makes Qt the most sensible choice for developers looking to target multiple devices and achieve the broadest reach with their innovations.
