Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?
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I'm considering between versions 5.15.2 and 5.15.16. Could you tell me the differences between these two versions? Also, could you explain the difference between standard support release and LTS commercial release? What is the most commonly used version of Qt5 in general?Thank you for always providing helpful explanations.!
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@Teemo-of-LOL said in Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?:
Could you tell me the differences between these two versions?
You can check the release notes for all the versions between 5.15.2 and 5.15.16 (https://wiki.qt.io/Qt_5.15_Release).
LTS versions have longer support from QtCompany (bug fixes, new features), see https://www.qt.io/blog/qt-5.15-extended-support-for-subscription-license-holders So, 5.15.6 should have less bugs than 5.15.2.
"What is the most commonly used version of Qt5 in general?" - no idea how anybody can answer this question. But why are you asking? If you're commercial user use the latest LTS version, else latest available OSS version build (5.15.2 if using official QtCompany builds), or build latest version by yourself.
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@jsulm I'm inquiring about whether to port the program to version 5.15.2 or 5.15.16, as I'm unsure which version would be better.
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@Teemo-of-LOL said in Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?:
I'm inquiring about whether to port the program to version 5.15.2 or 5.15.16
There is nothing to port: the differences between these versions are just bug fixes, they are compatible. Incompatible are major version changes like from Qt5 to Qt6. Even changes from Qt5.x to Qt5.y should not require any adaptations in code.
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@jsulm It seems like we might have to abandon the task of porting version 5.6.2 to Qt 6.6.2. We're planning to choose one of the Qt 5 versions for a fresh porting attempt, but we're unsure which version would be the best choice. Rebuilding Qt6 FTP was challenging for me, so I'm considering reverting back to Qt5 versions
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@Teemo-of-LOL Simply use the latest Qt 5.15.x release. If you're a commercial user you can install latest 5.15.x release using installer, else you can use 5.15.2. If you're not a commercial user and want to use latest 5.15.x release then you can build it by yourself from source.
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@jsulm Would it be accurate to consider standard support releases as free versions and LTS commercial releases as paid versions
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@Teemo-of-LOL Well, Qt is open source, so you get also all LTS releases (as source code, not binaries), but if I'm not mistaken Qt Company delays these releases for non commercial users. If you're not a commercial user you will have to build LTS releases (for Qt 5.15 everything > 5.15.2) by yourself, Qt Company only provides pre build binaries for 5.15.2.
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@jsulm It seems like 5.15.2 is the free version, but starting from 5.15.3, it becomes a paid version. Additionally, it appears that they provide free open-source up to 5.15.2, and from 5.15.3 onwards, they offer paid sources. Is that correct?
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@Teemo-of-LOL said in Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?:
they offer paid sources
No, Qt is open source, you do NOT have to pay for the sources, doesn't matter what version.
But if you're not a commercial user and want to use Qt > 5.15.2 you will not get BINARIES from Qt Company, you will have to build these releases by yourself. So, if you want to use 5.15.16 you will have to build it by yourself. -
@jsulm I understand now. Thank you. So, if Qt Company doesn't provide binaries and I have to build the version myself, what exactly does that entail? It's confusing to me because all the open-source code is already provided, so I don't understand why I would need to build it myself instead of getting binaries. I'm a non-commercial user
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@Teemo-of-LOL said in Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?:
so I don't understand why I would need to build it myself instead of getting binaries
That's the point: as non-commercial user you do NOT get binaries from Qt Company for versions > 5.15.2. So, if you want to use a higher version you have to build it by yourself. How to build Qt: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/build-sources.html
"because all the open-source code is already provided" - Qt is a C++ framework, so you have to build the code first to be able to use it. Qt Company gives you pre compiled binaries, but only for Qt 5.15.2.
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@jsulm I believe I will understand with your kind explanation. Thank you for summarizing the key points for me. Whether to build it myself or not seems like a significant issue. Both 5.15.2 and 5.15.16 are free programs, but I think installing 5.15.2 would be more convenient for me. Thank you.
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T Teemo of LOL has marked this topic as solved on
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@Teemo-of-LOL said in Could you guys explain the differences between versions of Qt?:
but I think installing 5.15.2 would be more convenient for me
Yes, this is the easiest option and as long as you do not experience any bugs which were fixed in newer versions there is no need to go for newer versions.
