Engineers looking for a cross-platform Internet of Things (IoT) framework option might be interested in looking into Qt Lite. The Qt Company claims that its software allows you to write an application once and that this application will then be compatible on any device. Quite a bold claim.
“Qt is based on C++ and incorporates many of the new and exciting features of modern C++11 and beyond. These two simple and basic facts are what enables Qt to be as flexible as it is,” explained Lars Knoll, CTO, the Qt Company. “This means we easily can write drivers and implement protocols to communicate with virtually any system, protocol or peripheral—as well as those starting to be used in the IoT.”
“Whatever is not already supported in the Qt distribution available from us can—due to customer access to the Qt source code—be added by the users themselves,” Knoll continued. “We are continuously working with our customers to either implement such solutions for them, or if they make such implementations themselves, we integrate them and keep them supported—either for that particular customer or for the whole ecosystem of users.”
So it turns out that the software isn’t quite “write-once” technology as the end user might have to wait for Qt to update a compatibility or will have to update that compatibility themselves from scratch.
Qt also notes that its software streamlines the development of software and devices in various industries from healthcare, automotive, avionics and home appliance. In addition to the software’s focus on connectivity, it can also create interfaces and in-dashboard screens for devices.
The aim of Qt is to offer engineers a way to ensure that their products will communicate with any other current or future IoT device. This idea of “future-proofing” a device does have its appeal. However, ensuring that a product can communicate with every IoT product currently on the market is a significant challenge given the sea of IoT protocols out there. Making sure that they will remain current is yet another can of worms.
“New protocols, standards and ideas are emerging all the time, especially in a fast-moving industry like software and the IoT, and anyone locking into a closed, black-box technology runs the risk of being left out when new innovation hits their markets. Qt completely removes this fear from the equation,” Knoll clarified. “With this release of Qt, the modularity and level of configuration we enable makes it possible to target more or less any device.”
Knoll admits that the software does have some limitations, particularly with operating systems that are POSIX compliant. However, he assures that if the software doesn’t run on a device, it will still be able to talk to it and connect it to a hub.
“The number of connected devices in use nowadays is growing at an exponential rate, but there is a rather finite pool of developers able to build applications and software for these technologies,” said Andy Mulholland, vice president and principal analyst, Constellation Research. “As a result, in order to keep up with consumer demand and seize the opportunity created by connected devices and the Internet of Things, developers need a platform that is able to strike a perfect balance between offering a robust set of development tools while providing a nimble and lightweight delivery model.”
Some other improvements to QT Lite include:
- A new configuration system for more detailed module definitions and feature tailoring
- A new graphical configuration tool that includes default starting configurations, integrated documentation and improved feature accessibility
- Improved developer workflow, which allows for the creation of a minimum deployable configuration to which features can then be added as needed; this also allows for continuous optimization of the project
- OpenGL requirement is no longer needed; 2D software renderer is included in Qt Quick instead
- Expanded support of hardware that engineers can launch Qt applications onto (RAM and Flash between 32 MB and 16 MB)