C++, multiplatform and GUI creation

[graciano]

Hi,
Imagine i started learning C++ and now it's time to create applications that meet this criteria:
- Base language is C++
- Multiplatform
- GUI interface
- as simple as possible for beginners
- opensource

I've been using Qt but now, with it's uncertain future, i'm not shure anymore.
Hope this launches a productive discussion.
Thanks

[Athar]

Qt is the way to go. That's not going to change anytime soon.

[graciano]

But the fact that Digia is acquireing Qt could have some impact on this subject. Will it still be LGPL?

[Computergeek01]

Playing along with the OP's idea, I think that SFML gets unfairly pidgin holed as strictly a gaming library when in reality it is capable of so much more. It is simple and fast to write, it uses an opensource licence and an experienced programmer can pick it up in a few weeks at a casual learning pace.

[Athar]

But the fact that Digia is acquireing Qt could have some impact on this subject. Will it still be LGPL?

I don't see why not. It doesn't really matter either, because they can't change the license retroactively.
If the license changes to something unacceptable, Qt will be forked.

[Computergeek01]

Athar said:

If the license changes to something unacceptable, Qt will be forked.

This is the truth. Anyone who is skeptical that things like this actually do happen in the open source world only needs to look at the fairly recent Open Office acquisition by Apache. Apache bought Open Office from Oracle in 2011 and changed the licence from LGPL to Apache 2.0 for the release of 3.4 and later. Libre Office was released in January 2011 under the LGPL licence and is a direct replacement, this was not a coincidence.

[chrisname]

This sort of thing happens a lot. When Oracle acquired Sun and announced they wouldn't be continuing OpenSolaris, it was forked immediately. The same thing with OpenOffice. Going back to Qt, when there was that thing with Nokia and Microsoft, the KDE project considered forking Qt. That's probably what they'll do if the license does change.