Qt has become a threat to Linux and free software

[lincoln]

Hello friends I have heard out there, that Qt framework is becoming proprietary, or will become proprietary, since in version 5.15 that I am using I saw that no more support will be given, I also saw several videos that talked about the subject, that the LTS Qt will only be for companies and no longer for open source, what opinion does this deserve, and if it is feasible to continue developing in Qt, for medium-sized projects, to the future of open source.

[JKSH]

@lincoln said in Qt has become a threat to Linux and free software:

Qt framework is becoming proprietary, or will become proprietary

This is not true (at least for now).

Qt continues to provide open source releases (for example, the next big release Qt 6.2 has the same open-source availability as Qt 5.15: https://www.qt.io/blog/qt-6.2-alpha-released

All Qt modules are dual-licensed under commercial licenses and GPL. Some Qt modules are triple-licensed under commercial, GPL, and LGPL.

The KDE Free Qt foundation protects Qt from becoming proprietary: https://kde.org/community/whatiskde/kdefreeqtfoundation/

since in version 5.15 that I am using I saw that no more support will be given

What kind of "support" do you mean?

• If you mean support to answer your questions, you can continue to use this forum or various other Qt communities: https://wiki.qt.io/Online_Communities
• If you mean bugfixes and security patches, KDE maintains a repository for Qt 5.15 updates: https://community.kde.org/Qt5PatchCollection

the LTS Qt will only be for companies and no longer for open source

This is true.

The Qt Company now provides pre-compiled Long Term Support releases for commercial customers only. Open source users can compile our own patched versions from source code if required.

(I don't like the separation between open source and commercial communities, but I can live with it)

if it is feasible to continue developing in Qt, for medium-sized projects, to the future of open source.

I think it's feasible, and I continue to use Qt in my projects (both personal projects and and work-related projects).

What aspects are you worried about?

I also saw several videos that talked about the subject

As with all media on the internet, we must be discerning and understand: Which parts of the videos are factual? Which parts are emotional? Which parts are true? Which parts are false?

Qt has become a threat to Linux and free software

A single library/framework cannot threaten Linux or free software. The free software movement is far bigger than this.

[lincoln]

Thanks for your answer, as I mentioned I saw some videos there and read some articles, that's why I made this comment.
I have some projects in mind, both on a personal level and for the company where I work, and I would not like that halfway through development, I was surprised that I could no longer continue with the open source project, but I will continue to insist on develop in Qt.

[JKSH]

@lincoln said in Qt has become a threat to Linux and free software:

I would not like that halfway through development, I was surprised that I could no longer continue with the open source project

You don't need to worry about this.

When a version of a library is released under the GPL/LGPL, that version will be free and open-source forever; nobody can really revoke the license for that version afterwards.

And as I said, the KDE Free Qt Foundation ensures that Qt will always be available to the open-source community: https://kde.org/community/whatiskde/kdefreeqtfoundation/