Qt and Qt Quick

This book provides you with a walk through of the different aspects of application development using the new Qt 6. It focuses on the Qt Quick technology, but also provides necessary information about writing C++ back-ends and extensions for Qt Quick.

This chapter shall provide a high-level overview of Qt 6. It shows the different application models available for developers, as well as a showcase application, as a sneak preview of things to come. Additionally, the chapter aims to provide a wide overview of the Qt content and how to get in touch with the makers of Qt the Qt Company.

Qt 6 Focus

Qt 5 was released many years ago and introduced a new declarative way of writing stunning user interfaces. Since then a lot has changed in the world around us.

Qt 6 will be a continuation of what has been done with Qt 5 and should not be disruptive to the majority of users. What makes Qt valuable to its users?

  • Its cross-platform nature
  • Its scalability
  • World class APIs and documentation
  • Maintainability, stability and compatibility
  • A large developer ecosystem

Qt 6 evolves the Qt product to new markets while keeping close to the users values.

The desktop market is the root of the Qt offering. It is where most users get the first contact with Qt and it forms the base for the Qt tools and its success.

It is expected that Qt 6 will grow most in the embedded and connected devices market from high-end near desktop performing devices to low-end devices like microcontrollers. Touch screens will come to an exponential increasing number to these devices. Many of these devices will have relatively simple functionality but require a polished and smooth user interface.

At the other end of the spectrum there is a demand for more complex and 2D/3D integrated user interfaces. The 3D content with 2D elements based interfaces will be common, as will be the use of augmented and virtual reality.

The growth of connected devices and the higher demand for smooth user interfaces require a simpler workflow to create applications and devices. Integrating UX designers into the development workflow is one of the goals of the Qt 6 series.

Qt 6 brings us:

  • Next generation QML
  • Next generation graphics
  • Unified and consistent tooling
  • Enhanced Qts C++ APIs
  • Component Marketplace