Developing advanced applications across various platforms

The new version is available for download and enables the rapid creation of high performance, efficient applications that run natively on multiple platform screens, whether desktop, mobile or embedded.

Qt 5.6 delivers new functionality that will assist both application development and device creation. This includes cross-platform full support for Windows 10, High-DPI capabilities and fully leveraging the Yocto Project for embedded software stack builds. Qt 5.6 is a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, which means that users can develop with it, secure in the knowledge that the version will receive continued support.

Qt 5.6 will receive patch releases containing bug fixes and security updates for at least three years, even after later Qt versions are released. After this time additional extended support can be purchased, if required.

With the LTS, a lot of effort has been put into improving the Qt APIs. For instance, Qt 5.6 introduces improvements to C++11 support, Qt Multimedia, OpenGL ES 3 compatibility, and the Chromium-based browser engine, Qt WebEngine, has been updated to a new version, adding support for Pepper plugins (PPAPI) such as Flash.

Qt 5.6 enables developers to create applications with one technology in order to reach all the screens of the end users, supporting all major desktop and mobile operating systems including Windows, Linux, OS X, Android, iOS and now, with Qt 5.6, Windows 10 devices.

Qt 5.6 introduces full support for Windows 10 so that applications built with Qt can run on all Windows 10 desktop PCs, tablets and phones, and of course, be distributed through the Windows Store. With Qt’s cross-platform features, users can take existing Qt-based applications to the new Microsoft platforms and distribute them through Windows Store. In most cases, the migration is just a matter of recompiling the application against the new version of Qt.

Another exciting feature introduced with Qt 5.6 is a completely new cross-platform High-DPI support. This allows even older Qt applications to be easily made to automatically scale from standard resolution displays to high pixel density displays. Qt can automatically adjust font sizes, window elements, icons and other graphics based on the pixel density.

Qt 5.6 also sees the introduction of a Start-up offering that enables small companies (with annual revenues of $100,000 or less) to harness the full power of Qt for Application Development in their products on preferential terms.

As the Internet of Things and other embedded applications increasingly demand smooth, high performance UIs and seamless integration with each other and the Cloud, Qt is being widely adopted as the development framework of choice. Qt 5.6 adds the ability to develop embedded Linux devices using a Windows host computer and also integrates seamlessly with the Yocto Project. This means that developers can easily pull in the full Qt offering to their own Yocto-based software stacks or customise Qt’s Yocto compliant software stack to meet their production needs.

Qt 5.6 also introduces a new version of the Qt Virtual Keyboard, now supporting handwriting recognition, integrating with Nuance T9 Write and adding traditional Chinese as one of the many built-in languages.