Nokia has released its new application development framework, Qt 4.5. It will allow developers to create applications and user interfaces once, and deploy them across multiple platforms without rewriting the source code.
A Nokia statement explains the Lesser General Public Licence (LGPL) option gives open source developers the option of licensing these applications on the Qt platform without paying a licence fee. Commercial licence options are available to developers not creating open source applications.
Nokia Qt chief technologist Benoit Schillings says the source code repositories will be made available online, with Nokia committing itself to support the open source community under the LGPL licence option.
Media reports say companies which have used Qt in the past for user interface and application development include Dash Navigation, Google for porting Google Earth, and Volvo for an in-vehicle traffic management system.
Going open or bust
Nokia is adamant that, in the long-term, the benefits of adopting an open source approach and accelerating development far outweigh the value of the revenue stream that it could generate by selling commercial licences.
Sebastian Nystr"om, Nokia VP of Qt, explains the licensing change was driven by a desire to boost the quality of Qt. The mobile phone developer will use it internally for a wide range of functions and is positioning it as a modern solution for building applications for its own Symbian platform.
The cellphone maker states the new release of the Qt framework will also enable increased performance of applications and greater productivity for developers using the new platform.
Benefits are clear
Adrian Schofield, manager of the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering's applied research unit, says it is good news for SA that Nokia has provided an opportunity for open source developers to use the Nokia platform at lower cost.
Analysts believe that since the framework has been released with an LGPL, this will open the door to many software developers who previously may not have been able to afford the licence fees.
BMI-TechKnowledge research analyst Ryan Smit says this is not the first time mobile developers are creating open source frameworks. The difference between Nokia's offering and others, such as Android, is that it is cross-platform and thus can run on operating systems such as Linux and Windows Mobile.
“Open source software can benefit social development organisations, as they can now create non-commercial applications more cheaply,“ says Smit.
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