[sword-devel] conversations with Stallman

Bobby Nations sword-devel@crosswire.org
Fri, 21 Dec 2001 14:26:26 -0600



Mike Dougherty wrote:

> <snip>

> Besides, Tom, when you use a wiget set like QT you have
> > the best of both worlds.  Your work with C++ and the QT toolkit is
> > cross platform.  That's why you see so many QT apps underdevelopment
> > that have executables for both Linux and WIndows.   Now, what do you
> > think is going to happen when people find these neat QT based apps
> > and realize that they can run the same app on a Linux distro like
> > SuSE 7.3 for a fraction of the costs of XP and combine that with the
> > realization that SuSE 7.3 or Mandrake 8.1 installs easier that XP, is
> > much more stable and extremly more secure?
> >
>
> Being new to the C++ world I have no idea what QT is? I know what JFC
> (Swing) is, and I know that it's cross platform.
>
> <snip>

Mike,

QT is a graphics toolkit put out by TrollTech (www.trolltech.com) that
serves as the foundation for all of the KDE interface.  Originally is was
available purely in commercial license, but they've released a somewhat
open source license for use on open source projects.

One thing in it's favor is that it truly is a cross platform library
because it can be compiled to machine code for every platform on which it's
available.  Therefore, it doesn't need the presence of a virtual machine
(and the corresponding download and installation thereof) the way that the
Java toolkits such as AWT or Swing do.  In that sense, Swing really isn't
cross platform because it only runs on one platform, the java virtual
machine.

I haven't taken too much of a look at it since I don't intend to develop
KDE apps (although I might change my mind ;-).  HOwever, Al Stevens who
writes for Doctor Dobb's Journal spent a good bit of time documenting his
search for an acceptable graphics library to use in Linux development.
Check the issues from this last year (I'm thinking they came out during hte
summer.)

Cheers,

Bobby

P.S. Sorry I haven't been contributing to JSword lately, but my linux box
went belly up.  I should have it back up and running (with a little help
from Santa :) soon.  How about if I start with the classes in
org.crosswire.sword.keys?



>
> /mike
>
> --
> ******************************************
>  Mike Dougherty -- Java Software Engineer
> ******************************************
>  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and
>  walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
>         I John 1:6