Representing a significant milestone towards the next Qt release, the alpha version of Qt 5.4.0 came out this week. Qt 5.4.0 will include a number of interesting new features. In this blog post, I will briefly mention just a few of the highlights.

QtWebEngine, the replacement for QtWebKit that I described in a blog post a few months ago, will be included in the Qt 5.4.0 release and will be supported on the following desktop platforms: Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.

Qt Release Updates

Qt 5.4 Alpha version is still in process with the intent to release as soon as possible.

Qt 5.3.2 blockers have all been addressed. The plan is to release this week if nothing serious is discovered in testing.

Qt Discussions, Releases, Proposals and Snapshots

GammaRay 2.1.1 was released:
https://github.com/KDAB/GammaRay

There is a rather lengthy discussion/argument on QStorageInfo, a new class proposed for v 5.4:
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.qt.devel/18196

Qt 5.4 Alpha version has still has not been released.  The goal is to release "as soon as possible".

With touchscreen-based systems such as tablets, smart phones and embedded devices, there is often a need for a virtual or on-screen keyboard. Qt itself does not provide a virtual keyboard and I am often asked for recommendations on approaches for a virtual keyboard. Let's look at some of the options available.

This is the 100th episode of Qt Updates. I want to thank my family, friends and all the little people I climbed over on my way to the top. :)

Qt Licensing

Qt will be changing its licensing somewhat, using LGPL v3 for new modules and add-ons.
http://blog.qt.digia.com/blog/2014/08/20/adding-lgpl-v3-to-qt/

Some further discussion: http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.qt.devel/18166

Qt Releases

The current plan is to release a version 5.4 alpha sometime this week.

5.3.2 is supposed to be released before the 5.4.0 beta release. This is currently scheduled for the end of August or early September.

Current snapshots are located here:

Windows: http://download.qt-project.org/snapshots/qt/5.3/5.3.2/2014-08-14_134/

To better support the embedded market, the Raspberry Pi Foundation now offers the Compute Module (3), a Raspberry Pi in a more flexible form factor intended for industrial applications.

Qt Releases  

Qt Creator 3.2 RC1 has been released for download: http://download.qt-project.org/development_releases/qtcreator/3.2/3.2.0-rc1/

Qt 5.4 has been feature frozen.

Congratulations

Milian Wolff of KDAB has been confirmed as an Approver

Qt feature freeze for 5.4 will occur on 8/8/2014. An alpha release is scheduled for the August 14th timeframe.

http://qt-project.org/wiki/Qt-5.4-release

New features (not yet finalized):
http://qt-project.org/wiki/New-Features-in-Qt-5.4

Summertime is in Full Swing

It seems to be vacation season, so there is less than half the normal traffic on the Qt lists.

It looks like there might be a 5.3.2 patch release in the future.

Have a great week!