LinuxTag 2009: GUIs of the Future with QML
In his keynote at the LinuxTag 2009 in Berlin, KDE founder Matthias Ettrich spoke about the future of user interfaces on mobile devices. In the process he presented QML, the newest development from his employer Qt Software.
KDE's and Qt's Matthias Ettrich presents QML, a Qt extension for modern GUI development.
Ettrich's talk was titled "New user interface paradigms on mobile devices" and addressed GUI developers. He began with a bit of history: ten years ago programming was at the forefront of development, with UIs "quickly assembled in about two hours." That has since change. Users now demand much more sophisticated UIs, and make purchasing decisions based on them.
The whole paradigm of GUI development has thus shifted. Graphics processing is faster, resolutions better and mobile devices provide new input mechanisms. These conditions, according to Ettrich, require diverging from the traditional development model. No more boxed, rectangular widgets. These components are much too difficult to turn on and off, scale or otherwise change, and don't allow consistent backgrounds.
"The boundaries should no longer be set only by technology but by the creativity of the developer," offered Ettrich. As a tool that represents this new style of thinking he presented QML, a declarative UI language from Qt Software's development lab in Brisbane, Australia. QML is an extension of the existing Qt Toolkit and is under LGPL licensing.
Ettrich showed some sample applications that he created onstage using Qt Creator to showcase the new QML language. He demonstrated the properties, states and transitions that are typical for QML.
A Qt Labs blog presents a video of QML in action and some sample code. It also includes links to the Windows binaries and Gitorious source code repository.
Issue 237/2020
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Purism Launches a Mini PC
The makers of the Librem line of Linux-based laptops have released a mini PC.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.2 Adds AI Machine Learning
With the new release of openSUSE Leap comes some exciting new features, including machine learning.
-
Google’s Nearby Sharing Could Work with Linux
Google’s answer to Apple’s AirDrop feature is rumored to work with the Linux desktop.
-
System76 Launches Ryzen-Powered Laptop
The new System76 Serval WS includes a powerful AMD Ryzen CPU.
-
Linux Mint Drops Snap
Linux Mint has officially dropped their support for Canonical’s snap packages.
-
Lenovo Upping Their Linux Support
Lenovo is now offering full certification and Linux preinstalled hardware.
-
LPI Launches FOSSlife Website
Linux Professional Institute launches FOSSlife, a website for the FOSS community.
-
Tuxedo Computers Joins the Ryzen Bandwagon
Tuxedo Computers has released the Tuxedo Boot BA15 with an AMD Ryzen 3500 CPU.
-
Linux Apps on Windows Is Coming
Linux GUI apps will be coming to Windows Subsystem for Linux.
-
Linux Usage Is on the Rise
According to NetMarketShare, Linux saw a significant bump in usage during April.