Qt 5.4 released to help cross-platform application development and device creation

December 10, 2014 - The Qt Company today released the latest version of its leading cross-platform application and user interface (UI) development framework, Qt 5.4. Qt 5.4 makes it easier to create connected devices and exciting applications with native C++ performance, allowing companies to implement future-oriented multi-screen adaptation and Internet of Things strategies, and extend to all major desktop, embedded and mobile operating systems. This version also uses LGPLv3 as one of the licensing agreements, hoping to protect the user freedom advocated by the Free Software Foundation.

Qt 5.4 continues the advanced technologies included in previous versions (the previous version Qt 5.3 has been downloaded more than 1.6 million times), and further adds features and improves performance to help developers target a wider range of applications. Its highlights include: adding a new Chromium browser engine-based Qt WebEngine under commercial and LGPLv3 license agreements to support future-oriented, network-integrated Qt and HTML5 hybrid development; full support for Windows Store Apps, including WinRT and Windows Phone 8.1; Qt Quick controls provide native Android style under commercial and LGPLv3 license agreements; adding new features for embedded system development, especially the addition of Qt Quick Compiler 2.0 and the new Qt Quick 2D Renderer; providing a new "smooth" Qt Quick control to bring a more refined appearance to the user interface of applications and devices. In order to meet the growing development needs of wearable devices and the Internet of Things, a technical preview version of Bluetooth low energy support is provided. In addition, Qt 5.4 also updates the Qt Creator IDE to version 3.3, which provides the new Qt Quick Designer and many other features to improve work efficiency.

Qt combines simple development with efficient performance, allowing you to develop wonderful, smooth and stylish user interfaces even on platforms with limited processor capabilities. These advantages brought by the framework are not only reflected in the original target platform or device, but also in all other supported platforms. Developers can work with confidence and know clearly that their investment will be rewarded when supporting other operating systems or deploying to additional device hardware.

As HTML5 becomes more and more important, Qt 5.4 supports future-proof hybrid application development with the new Chromium-based browser engine Qt WebEngine, fully supported on desktop and embedded platforms. In addition to providing a convenient cross-platform API for Chromium, Qt WebEngine also fully integrates Qt's graphics library, allowing web content to be overlaid and mixed with Qt user interfaces or OpenGL graphics effects. Qt has not introduced any new features to Webkit in nearly a year, and Qt 5.4 will be the last version to support Webkit Support. Future releases will stop supporting Webkit, so it is recommended that all new projects that require browser capabilities be developed with Qt WebEngine. For mobile platforms, Qt WebView, launched under the commercial license agreement and the LGPLv3 license agreement, can integrate web content using the native operating system browser engine.

Qt 5.4 is more suitable for the latest desktop operating system version, improves the experience on OS X 10.10 Yosemite, supports high-definition displays, and has been improved for Windows 8.1. It can also dynamically switch GL between OpenGL and ANGLE on Windows. Now using the graphics API provided by Qt 5.4, you can mix and match Qt Quick, Qt Widgets and native OpenGL as needed.

For mobile application development, Qt 5.4 introduces full support for Windows Store Apps and improved support for Android and iOS platforms. Qt Quick controls, a collection of UI controls, add support for Android native application styles. Qt 5.3 version has supported Android 5. After improvements, Qt is more suitable for iOS8 and XCode 6. In addition, Qt 5.4 the Indie Mobile package (designed for individual mobile developers or mobile application development houses) now includes the Qt Purchasing API.

Qt 5.4 further enhances its ability to be used in the development of connected device systems, which can bring more exciting appearance and more powerful performance. Qt's existing support for the development of embedded systems includes a powerful C++ class library, a complete embedded tool chain and pre-compiled libraries for instant prototyping. Qt 5.4 introduces a new professionally designed "smooth" style Qt Quick controls, covering traditional and industrial enterprise controls, bringing a more beautiful appearance to the user interface of applications and devices. It also introduces the Qt Quick 2D Renderer plug-in, which enables Qt Quick graphics to run without OpenGL and allows Qt Quick to run on low-end devices without GPUs. It also incorporates Qt Quick Compiler 2.0 to further shorten device startup time and prevent reverse engineering.

To learn more and download Qt 5.4, visit: http://www.qt.io/qt5-4/

About The Qt Company

The Qt Company, a subsidiary of Digia (Nasdaq OMX Helsinki - DIG1V), is responsible for product development, commercialization and licensing of Qt under commercial and open source licenses. Qt is a C++-based framework with rich libraries and tools for developing powerful, interactive and cross-platform applications and devices with over 800,000 developers worldwide. Qt supports multiple desktop, embedded and mobile operating systems, allowing developers to save a lot of time in application and device development by reusing a single set of code. Many industry leaders, such as Navico, ABB, Pitney Bowes, Thales, Michelin, Magneti Marelli and Sennheiser, use Qt to develop their automotive devices, industrial automation applications and mission-critical systems. The Qt Company has operations in China, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Less code, more creativity, deploy everywhere. For more information, visit http://qt.io.