As we have mentioned in the past, Qt is a popular C++ framework, predominantly used to graphical user interfaces. Qt 5.9, which was released last year, wrapped up a block of new features with an LTS build. Qt 5.10 followed several months later with a non-LTS version, which focused on the release of Qt 3D Studio but also introduced basic Vulkan support.
Qt 5.11, also not an LTS release, has just been pushed out. This one adds a bunch of accessibility features to Widgets on Windows, as well as improving the high-DPI support on that platform. They have also worked on their Unicode implementation, which is now compatible with Unicode 10. Unicode string parsing in C++ is particularly annoying, so letting Qt handle it might be a huge incentive for many projects, especially since it comes with a great UI framework.
They also have a Beta preview of Qt 3D Studio 2.0, which was released about a week ago. This update expects to replace the guts with one based on Qt 3D. Qt 3D Studio was created from NVIDIA’s WYSIWYG editor for car UIs, which allowed designers to make dashboard interface screens in 3D. NVIDIA gave it to Qt, who has made it, and its runtime, available under GPLv3.
The next release will be Qt 5.12, which is scheduled to be another LTS version.
If you’re interested, Qt is free for open-source projects due to its mix of GPL and LGPL licenses. Commercial projects will need to navigate the packages accordingly, however. Some can get away using LGPL versions, while others will need to buy a commercial license to opt-out of the GPL.
And, yes, the website is a little challenging to navigate. There is a way to download without buying a commercial license, though, even if you use it commercially (albeit in compliance with the LGPL).
