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authorTimothy Pearson <kb9vqf@pearsoncomputing.net>2011-07-10 15:24:15 -0500
committerTimothy Pearson <kb9vqf@pearsoncomputing.net>2011-07-10 15:24:15 -0500
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+<title>The Qt FAQ</title>
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+ <a href="index.html">
+<font color="#004faf">Home</font></a>
+ | <a href="classes.html">
+<font color="#004faf">All&nbsp;Classes</font></a>
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+<td align="right" valign="center"><img src="logo32.png" align="right" width="64" height="32" border="0"></td></tr></table><h1 align=center>The Qt FAQ</h1>
+
+
+<p>
+<p> See also the <a href="commonproblems.html">Technical FAQ</a>.
+<p> <!-- toc -->
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#1"> General Questions
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#1-1"> What is Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-2"> What is Trolltech?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-3"> How can I evaluate Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-4"> What does Qt cost?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-5"> How can I buy Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-6"> What kind of technical support is available for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-7"> Who provides training for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-8"> Who provides consultancy for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-9"> Are there any books about Qt programming?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-10"> What is the Open Source Edition?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-11"> What is the idea behind having a free version of Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#1-12"> Is there a low-cost version of Qt for writing shareware?
+</a>
+</ul>
+<li><a href="#2"> Questions about Qt's Users
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#2-1"> How many developers use Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#2-2"> Which major corporations use Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#2-3"> Are there any well-known applications that use Qt?
+</a>
+</ul>
+<li><a href="#3"> Questions about Developing Applications with Qt
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#3-1"> Is there a mailing list for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#3-2"> Is Qt's documentation available online?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#3-3"> Is there a technical newsletter for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#3-4"> I think I have found a bug in Qt. Where can I report it?
+</a>
+</ul>
+<li><a href="#4"> Questions about Professional Licensing
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#4-1"> We have purchased a license, but the developer is leaving the company
+project. Can we transfer the license to another developer?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#4-2"> Can I purchase floating licenses for Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#4-3"> Can we use the Open Source Edition while developing our non-free
+application and then purchase commercial licenses when we start to
+sell it?
+</a>
+</ul>
+<li><a href="#5"> Questions about Open Source Software Licensing
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#5-1"> I just want to run KDE and other Qt-based software on my
+machine. Can I do that with the Open Source Edition?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-2"> I want to put Qt, and applications that use it, on a CD-ROM or on
+a web site. Can I do that with the Open Source Edition?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-3"> Can I make software with the Qt Open Source Edition and release it under
+the GNU GPL, BSD, or Artistic license?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-4"> I don't want to give away my source code. What do I do?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-5"> Is software based on the Qt Open Source Edition really free? Does it
+carry any Trolltech-specific license restrictions?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-6"> What if Trolltech stops releasing Open Source Editions of Qt?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-7"> Using the Open Source Edition, can I make non-free software for internal
+use in my company/organization?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-8"> Is Qt Open Source Edition really free software in the GNU meaning of the
+word?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-9"> If the Open Source Edition is GNU GPL, aren't there license conflicts
+with incompatible open source licenses? How come people can even
+run commercial software like the Opera web browser with it?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-10"> Doesn't such an en extra license in addition to the GNU GPL
+violate the terms of the GPL or at least make the whole package
+GPL-incompatible?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#5-11"> Why is Qt Open Source Edition not distributed under the GNU Lesser
+General Public License (LGPL)?
+</a>
+</ul>
+<li><a href="#6"> Questions about other programming languages
+</a>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#6-1"> Are there bindings to languages other than C++?
+</a>
+<li><a href="#6-2"> Can I develop commercial applications with PerlQt or PyQt or other
+Qt wrappers?
+</a>
+</ul>
+</ul>
+<!-- endtoc -->
+
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> General Questions
+</h2>
+<a name="1"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What is Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-1"></a><p> Qt is a multiplatform C++ GUI toolkit. It
+provides application developers with all the functionality
+needed to build applications with state-of-the-art graphical
+user interfaces. Qt is fully object-oriented, easily
+extensible, and allows true component programming.
+<p> Qt is supported on the following platforms:
+<p> <ul>
+<li> <b>MS/Windows</b> -- 95, 98, NT 4.0, ME, 2000, and XP
+<li> <b>Unix/X11</b> -- Linux, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, Compaq Tru64 UNIX,
+IBM AIX, SGI IRIX and a wide range of others
+<li> <b>Macintosh</b> -- Mac OS X
+<li> <b>Embedded</b> -- Linux platforms with framebuffer support.
+</ul>
+<p> It has become the emerging standard development
+environment for IT professionals who want to:
+<p> <ul>
+<li> Write (and maintain) a single source-tree.
+<li> Port their applications to multiple platforms with a simple
+recompilation.
+<li> Internationalize their applications.
+<li> Provide their applications with native look and feel.
+<li> Have their applications run at native speed.
+</ul>
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What is Trolltech?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-2"></a><p> Trolltech is an international software company with
+headquarters in Oslo, the capital of Norway, and with offices
+in Brisbane, Australia, and Redwood City, California. Our
+flagship product is Qt, the multi-platform C++ GUI toolkit.
+<p> Trolltech ASA was founded in 1994, although, the core team of designers
+started Qt's development in 1992.
+<p> More details can be found at <a href="troll.html">Trolltech</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> How can I evaluate Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-3"></a><p> We offer 30 day evaluation versions of Qt on all our supported platforms.
+Further details can be found here: <a href="http://www.trolltech.com/evaluate.html">http://www.trolltech.com/evaluate.html</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What does Qt cost?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-4"></a><p> This depends on your number of developers, on how many
+different platforms you target, and on the edition of Qt you
+choose. Currently we offer two different editions (Enterprise
+Edition and Professional Edition) on four different
+platforms (Microsoft Window, Unix/X11, Macintosh and Linux/embedded).
+<p> We also offer discounts for academic and research institutions.
+<p> Details on pricing can be found here:
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/pricing.html">http://www.trolltech.com/pricing.html</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> How can I buy Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-5"></a><p> To purchase, please visit the <a
+href="https://webshop.trolltech.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi">Trolltech
+webshop</a>. In the webshop, you can generate a Purchase Order, order
+a Quote, or purchase directly using a credit card.
+<p> For further information and assistance, please contact Trolltech sales:
+<p> Email: <a href="mailto:sales@trolltech.com">sales@trolltech.com</a>
+Phone, US office (for North America): <strong>(+1)&nbsp;650-813-1676</strong>
+Phone, Norway office (for others): <strong>+47&nbsp;2160&nbsp;4800</strong>
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What kind of technical support is available for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-6"></a><p> Trolltech offers email support to commercial licensees. The first year
+of Trolltech's Support and Maintenance Service is included with the
+purchase of Qt Professional and Qt Enterprise Edition licenses.
+Licenses can be kept up-to-date and fully supported by buying
+the Support and Maintenance Service for the licenses held in each
+subsequent year.
+<p> For further information see here:
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/support/">http://www.trolltech.com/support/</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Who provides training for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-7"></a><p> A number of companies provide Qt training, in Asia, Europe and the US.
+Trolltech has agreements with a number of official training
+partners, who offer Trolltech approved courses. In addition
+there are a number of independently developed courses run by third
+parties. You can find more information about the partners and the
+courses here: <a href="http://www.trolltech.com/training/">http://www.trolltech.com/training/</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Who provides consultancy for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-8"></a><p> A number of companies provide consultancy services for Qt and
+Qtopia. You can find a partial list here:
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/company/servicepartners.html">http://www.trolltech.com/company/servicepartners.html</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Are there any books about Qt programming?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-9"></a><p> Yes, there are quite a few books on Qt, most of them
+available from amazon.com. You can find a partial list at
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/developer/books.html">http://www.trolltech.com/developer/books.html</a>.
+<p> The official Qt book is
+<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131240722/trolltech/">C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What is the Open Source Edition?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-10"></a><p> The Qt Open Source Edition is our non-commercial versions of
+Qt. You can use this edition to create and run free
+software, i.e. software that is licensed under the GNU GPL or
+a similarly recognized open source license.
+<p> Qt Open Source edition is available for Unix/X11, Macintosh and
+Linux/embedded.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What is the idea behind having a free version of Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-11"></a><p> With the Open Source Edition, Trolltech has found a way to support
+the free software concept. Part of our commitment is to enable
+those who contribute to the free software pool to do so
+without paying license fees.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is there a low-cost version of Qt for writing shareware?
+</h3>
+<a name="1-12"></a><p> No, but Qt's commercial licenses permit you to write and sell
+shareware written with Qt.
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> Questions about Qt's Users
+</h2>
+<a name="2"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> How many developers use Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="2-1"></a><p> We don't know! We can count our many thousands of commercial
+licensees, but the number of free software developers
+using Qt can only be guessed based on download figures, book
+sales, the number of open source Qt applications available on
+the web, Universities teaching with Qt, and other factors. A
+conservative estimate would put the figure at around 100,000 to
+150,000 developers world-wide.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Which major corporations use Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="2-2"></a><p> See our list of reference customers at
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/company/customers.html">http://www.trolltech.com/company/customers.html</a>. Note that many
+commercial customers do not disclose their use of Qt because they see
+Qt as a competitive advantage.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Are there any well-known applications that use Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="2-3"></a><p> There are many, e.g. Adobe Photoshop Album from Abobe
+Corporation and the KDE desktop. A partial list can be found at
+<a href="http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/apps-using-qt.html">http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/apps-using-qt.html</a>
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> Questions about Developing Applications with Qt
+</h2>
+<a name="3"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is there a mailing list for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="3-1"></a><p> Trolltech operates several mailing lists for Qt users including
+<tt>qt-announce</tt>, <tt>qt-interest</tt> and <tt>snapshot-users</tt>.
+<p> See <a href="http://lists.trolltech.com">Mailing lists</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is Qt's documentation available online?
+</h3>
+<a name="3-2"></a><p> Yes, at <a href="http://doc.trolltech.com">http://doc.trolltech.com</a>.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is there a technical newsletter for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="3-3"></a><p> Yes, <a href="http://doc.trolltech.com/qq/index.html">Qt
+Quarterly</a>. It is a paper-based newsletter exclusively
+available to Qt licensees.
+<p> As a courtesy and convenience to all our users, a selection of
+articles is also published online about one month after publication.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> I think I have found a bug in Qt. Where can I report it?
+</h3>
+<a name="3-4"></a><p> Bugs should be reported to <a href="mailto:qt-bugs@trolltech.com">qt-bugs@trolltech.com</a>. But <em>please</em> read (the very short)
+<a href="bughowto.html">How to Report a Bug</a> page <em>first</em>.
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> Questions about Professional Licensing
+</h2>
+<a name="4"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> We have purchased a license, but the developer is leaving the company
+project. Can we transfer the license to another developer?
+</h3>
+<a name="4-1"></a><p> Yes. Qt licences are for the individual use of named developers. If
+the developer associated with a licence leaves the organization, or
+moves on to another project that does not require a Qt license,
+another developer can take over the licence. You can change the name
+of the developer using a licence at any time, but after a change you
+must wait at least six (6) months before changing again.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Can I purchase floating licenses for Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="4-2"></a><p> No, we do not offer floating licenses.
+<p> The reason is this: Floating licenses are based on the concept
+of defining a maximum number of concurrent users. For example,
+for a word processor, this means the maximum number of
+instances of that application that can be running at any
+time. However, for a library product like Qt, there is no main
+application that is always running when the product is being
+used. Hence, it is not possible to count the number of
+concurrent users, and therefore floating licenses do not
+make sense.
+<p>
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Can we use the Open Source Edition while developing our non-free
+application and then purchase commercial licenses when we start to
+sell it?
+</h3>
+<a name="4-3"></a><p> No: our commercial license agreements only apply to software
+that was developed with Qt under the agreement. They do not
+apply to code that was developed with the Qt Open Source Edition
+prior to the agreement. Any software developed with Qt
+without a commercial license agreement must be released as
+free/open source software.
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> Questions about Open Source Software Licensing
+</h2>
+<a name="5"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> I just want to run KDE and other Qt-based software on my
+machine. Can I do that with the Open Source Edition?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-1"></a><p> Yes. You may use the Qt Open Source Edition for running applications,
+both at home and at work, without restrictions.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> I want to put Qt, and applications that use it, on a CD-ROM or on
+a web site. Can I do that with the Open Source Edition?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-2"></a><p> Yes. You may copy and redistribute the Qt Open Source Edition, both
+at home and at work, without restrictions.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Can I make software with the Qt Open Source Edition and release it under
+the GNU GPL, BSD, or Artistic license?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-3"></a><p> Yes. The GNU GPL, GPL-compatible licenses, or any other
+approved open source license will do. The FSF.org and
+OpenSource.org web sites list approved software licenses.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> I don't want to give away my source code. What do I do?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-4"></a><p> You need to buy a commercial Qt license.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is software based on the Qt Open Source Edition really free? Does it
+carry any Trolltech-specific license restrictions?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-5"></a><p> Yes, it really is free. This is because the Qt Open Source Edition
+uses the GNU GPL, which forbids the imposition of any license
+restrictions on software based on the Open Source Edition that would
+make it non-free. And no, there are no Trolltech-specific
+license restrictions on software produced using the Open Source
+Edition.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> What if Trolltech stops releasing Open Source Editions of Qt?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-6"></a><p> We have absolutely no intention of doing that. Together with
+the K Desktop Environment project, we have set up the KDE Free
+Qt Foundation (see
+<a href="http://www.kde.org/whatiskde/kdefreeqtfoundation.php">http://www.kde.org/whatiskde/kdefreeqtfoundation.php</a>) to
+legally guarantee the availability of Qt for free software
+development now and forever - even if circumstances beyound
+our control prevent us from producing new free editions.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Using the Open Source Edition, can I make non-free software for internal
+use in my company/organization?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-7"></a><p> No. Software developed with the Open Source Edition is always free
+software, i.e. it can only be distributed under a free
+software license. In particular, all the source code for all
+the modules your software is based on, regardless of whether
+they have been written by you or by others, must be free
+software. This is part of our commitment to the free software
+community, and enables those who contribute to the free
+software pool to do so without paying license fees.
+<p> Although it is possible to write free software for internal
+use, it is difficult to ensure that such software is used and
+distributed legally. For example, if your free software
+requires any modules that impose conditions on you that
+contradict the conditions of the GNU GPL, including, but not
+limited to, software patents, commercial license agreements,
+copyrighted interface definitions or any sort of
+non-disclosure agreement, then you cannot distribute it at
+all; hence it cannot be given to consultants, employees for
+their personal computers, subsidiaries, other divisions, or
+even to new owners.
+<p> Consequently we recommend using commercial licenses for all
+internal software development.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Is Qt Open Source Edition really free software in the GNU meaning of the
+word?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-8"></a><p> Yes - it is free software both as in "no cost" and as in
+"free speech". Even more, it is actually available under the
+terms of the GNU GPL. This means you can link GPL'ed software
+to it, and you can take code from Qt and put it into other
+GPL'ed software.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> If the Open Source Edition is GNU GPL, aren't there license conflicts
+with incompatible open source licenses? How come people can even
+run commercial software like the Opera web browser with it?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-9"></a><p> If the Open Source Edition was licensed purely under the GNU GPL,
+there would be problems. However, as long as Qt-based
+software is either open source or was developed under a
+commercial license agreement with Trolltech, we grant
+permission to compile, link and run those programs with the
+Open Source Edition. This is written down in our second free software
+license, the QPL.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Doesn't such an en extra license in addition to the GNU GPL
+violate the terms of the GPL or at least make the whole package
+GPL-incompatible?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-10"></a><p> No, because those extra license terms give you rights in
+addition to those of the GNU GPL, including the right to
+remove those extra terms.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Why is Qt Open Source Edition not distributed under the GNU Lesser
+General Public License (LGPL)?
+</h3>
+<a name="5-11"></a><p> The LGPL is designed to "permit developers of non-free
+programs to use free libraries" (quote from the LGPL). In
+other words, if Qt Open Source Edition were LGPL'd, companies would
+not have to purchase our commercial editions in order to make
+commercial/proprietary software, they could just use the Open Source
+Edition, free of charge. That would mean Trolltech would not
+get the revenue necessary for improving and extending Qt.
+<p> Note also that the Free Software Foundation discourages the
+use of the LGPL.
+<p> <hr>
+<h2> Questions about other programming languages
+</h2>
+<a name="6"></a><p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Are there bindings to languages other than C++?
+</h3>
+<a name="6-1"></a><p> Yes there are, e.g. bindings to Perl (PerlQt) and Python
+(PyQt). These bindings were written by the open source
+community and are not supported by Trolltech.
+<p> <hr width="30%">
+<h3> Can I develop commercial applications with PerlQt or PyQt or other
+Qt wrappers?
+</h3>
+<a name="6-2"></a><p> Yes, if you have purchased a commercial license. The licensing
+conditions are the same whether you use the Qt API directly in
+C++, or you use it through some API wrapper in another
+programming language. All developers that write code
+containing calls to the Qt API (directly or through a wrapper)
+need Qt licenses.
+<p>
+<!-- eof -->
+<p><address><hr><div align=center>
+<table width=100% cellspacing=0 border=0><tr>
+<td>Copyright &copy; 2007
+<a href="troll.html">Trolltech</a><td align=center><a href="trademarks.html">Trademarks</a>
+<td align=right><div align=right>Qt 3.3.8</div>
+</table></div></address></body>
+</html>