The document outlines Qt's roadmap and new features in versions 4.6 and 4.7. Key additions in 4.6 include support for new platforms like Windows 7, animation and graphics effects APIs, and multitouch gestures. Version 4.7 will focus on the Qt Kinetic project for declarative UIs. Future plans include hybrid development combining web technologies with Qt C++ and expanding the Qt Mobility APIs to more mobile platforms and devices. Tools like Qt Creator will also be enhanced.

1. The Qt Roadmap
10/08/09
Lars Knoll, Director R&D
Qt Development Frameworks, Nokia

2. Agenda
• Qt Strategy and vision
• Qt 4.6
• Qt 4.7 and future
• Qt Creator and other tools
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3. Recipe for the next generation Qt
B a s ic ing redients N ew fla vo rs S ug a r o n the top
S DK .
C omplete end-to-end C o ntributio ns .
developer offering C ode from community.
W ebK it.
P erfo rm a nc e. E mbrace the web.
Native. Blazingly fast. A P I c o m ple tenes s .
E xpanding to new use S c ript a nd hybrid
G o od ho us ek eeping . cases. C ombine the best of both
S table, backwards worlds .
compatible.
N ew pla tform s .
Q t E verywhere.
A dva nc ed U I s a nd
vis ua liza tio n.
B eauty and power.
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3

4. Qt 4.6
• Key goals
• Enable better User Experience
• Performance
• Deploy everywhere
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5. New in 4.6: New Platforms
• Windows 7
• Mac OS X 10.6
• Symbian
• Real-time operating systems: QNX, VxWorks
• Maemo 5
Symbian: Today
Symbian: Today
@ 1300 Room B
@ 1300 Room B
Maemo: Today @
Maemo: Today @
1600 Room C
1600 Room C
RTOS: Tomorrow
RTOS: Tomorrow
@ 1300 Room D
@ 1300 Room D
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6. New in 4.6: States and Transitions
• A robust state chart implementation based on
Harel state-charts and SCXML
• Key benefits:
– Simplify application semantics
– Use states to improve maintainability
– Solidify event-driven programming
– Write verifiable application logic
State Machine
State Machine
Framework
Framework
Tomorrow @ 1300
Tomorrow @ 1300
Room C
Room C
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7. New in 4.6: Animation API
• Allow users to create dynamic UIs
• Integrates with States and Transitions
• Key features:
– Animate any QObject property
– Combine animations in groups
– Use easing curves
– Synchronized timer for better
CPU utilization
Animation
Animation
Framework
Framework
Tomorrow @ 1415
Tomorrow @ 1415
Room B
Room B
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8. New in 4.6: Graphics Effects
• Apply graphical effects to graphics items or
widgets
• Add highlight or accentuation to create visually
appealing user interfaces
• Key features:
– Apply effects to any paint device
– Common effects built in
– Extend with your own effects
Special FX with
Special FX with
Graphics View
Graphics View
Tomorrow @ 1015
Tomorrow @ 1015
Room C
Room C
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9. New in 4.6: Gestures & Multitouch
• Enable interaction with more than one finger
• Combine sequential touch inputs to a ‘gesture’
• Key benefits
– Allow users to interact with applications in better ways
– Simplify finger-based interaction with UI components
– Allowing common basic gestures
…as well as multi-touch gestures Multitouch &
Multitouch &
Gestures
– Enable extensibility Gestures
Tomorrow @ 0900
Tomorrow @ 0900
Room C
Room C
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10. Qt 4.7: Qt Kinetic project
• Allow developers and designers to create flexible
and visually appealing user interfaces using
intuitive code or GUI designer
• Key benefits
– Declarative UI programming
– Encourages developer-designer collaboration
– Faster time-to-market with rapid prototyping
– Expressive language
Creating
– Exposes Qt objects and properties Creating
Dynamic UIs
Dynamic UIs
with QML
via JavaScript with QML
Tomorrow @ 1415
Tomorrow @ 1415
Room D
Room D
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11. Qt Future: Hybrid Development
A ppro a c ha bility of
• Combine easily approachable web P ro g ra m m ing
E nvironm ent
technologies with powerful and
U
na
tta
E as y
in
ab
Ar
WR T
scalable Qt C++
le
e a
Q t C ++
• Qt already provides rich features D ifficult S ize of
P ro jec t
S mall Large
– QtWebKit
– QtScript Combined, you can export H ybrid A pplic a tio ns
QObjects to web scripts Q t C ++ A pplic a tio n
– QtXmlPatterns HTM L, C S S ,
JavaS cript
– QtNetwork Scripting: B row s er/ S ta nda lo ne
Scripting: W R T A pp lic a tion
Today @ 1600
Today @ 1600 S ervices written in Q t
Room A
Room A C ++, D eclarative UI,
Common Web Integration with Qt
Common Web
Runtime:
Runtime:
Today @ 1715
Today @ 1715
Room D
Room D
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12. Qt Mobility
• The best framework also on mobile devices
• Cross-platform:
– Symbian, Maemo, Windows Mobile, Embedded Linux
– Desktop platforms (where appropriate)
• APIs under development:
– Location, Messaging, Contacts,
The Mobility
System Information, Multimedia, The Mobility
Project
Project
Bearer Management, Sensors... Tomorrow @ 0900
Tomorrow @ 0900
Room D
Room D
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13. Future of Qt tools
• Qt Creator Creator: Today @
Creator: Today @
1415 Room A
1415 Room A
Bauhaus:
– Support for Symbian and Maemo Bauhaus:
Tomorrow @ 1600
Tomorrow @ 1600
Room D
Room D
– C++ code refactoring tools
• Project “Bauhaus”
– Graphical design tool for Qt Kinetic project
– Targeted towards programmers and designers
• Continuous support for Visual Studio and Eclipse
– Not limited to maintenance only
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14. Qt SDK
• Qt SDK components
– APIs
– Tools
– Documentation
• Desktop platform support in 4.6 timeframe
• For Qt 4.7: increased support for embedded /
mobile development
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15. More information
• Qt’s roadmap is public
– http://qt.nokia.com/roadmap
• Roadmap BOF session today
– 16.00 in Qt Labs (Room D)
• Feedback welcome
– Influence our roadmap
– Send us feedback
– Send your code contributions to Qt
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