[Gambas-user] Windows version..

[Rob]

On Saturday 19 July 2003 13:19, Nelson Ferraz wrote:
> > I don't think anyone has volunteered to make a Windows component yet.  If
> > Trolltech provided a GPL version of Qt it would basically be already
> > written, but they haven't and it's not.
> Qt is open source, certified by the Open Source Initiative:
> http://www.opensource.org/licenses/qtpl.php

Indeed it is.  However, the native Windows version of Qt is not open source at 
all; it's the copyright holder's prerogative to release original code as 
closed source for certain platforms if they like, and Qt for Windows makes a 
lot of money for them.

Of course, nothing is stopping users of the Mac and Linux versions of Qt from 
porting to Windows.  It already works under Cygwin (Unix API emulation layer) 
but no one has ported it to Windows natively yet.

See the following URL on Trolltech's website for more info.

http://www.trolltech.com/developer/faqs/noncomm.html#q43

And the following article on kde.org about the port of the GPL version which 
is currently in progress, started only last week:

http://dot.kde.org/1057919193/

Note: philosophically, I have mixed feelings about a GPL'ed port of Qt to 
Windows.  On the one hand, it will allow KDE and Qt apps like Gambas to work 
under Windows which will allow Windows users to adopt them and make their 
migration to a free OS that much easier.  On the other hand, it does give 
more apps to Windows and could take revenue away from Trolltech (since the 
GPL doesn't prevent you from writing a program for use in-house and never 
giving anyone the source, so the only people who'd have to pay for Qt are 
commercial software developers.)  I am all for commercial software for Windows 
if it funds development of the same software in GPL form under Linux, and 
don't really want to jeopardize that.  So it's a dilemma for me, but since I 
wouldn't be working on a Windows port it's a moot point ;)

As a matter of fact, while I don't know if it's legally possible at this 
point, it seems to me that Benoit could make some money by selling a $99 port 
of Gambas to Windows using the commercial Qt toolkit.  It really is a better 
language than VB and I think people are hungry for cross-platform RAD 
environments at this point (Delphi is nice and all but Pascal is closer to C 
than BASIC...) and it seems to me the biggest downside would be (a) kneejerk 
reaction from some parts of the community and (b) the tremendous influx of VB 
users looking for support, which we'd have to face anyway if someone ported 
Gambas to the eventual free Qt/Windows port.  Even if someone does manage a 
free port, sticking it in a box with a manual for 50 bucks and getting it on 
retail shelves somehow (with binaries for multiple platforms and source on 
one CD) would change the face of RAD.  I only suggest that because I suspect 
if you didn't, "Luxuriousity" (look on google and ebay) would.

Incidentally, anyone thinking of trying to port Gambas to the eventual free 
Windows port of Qt who has already used the commercial or non-commercial 
Windows Qt versions needs to consult the license agreement you clicked 
through when you installed Qt, to make sure it doesn't prevent you from 
contributing to GPL'ed Qt based software for Windows.  An earlier Qt port 
attempt had to be abandoned because of this.

Sorry for the ramble.

Rob