Qt development on Fedora Linux raises questions, what can be done on Fedora Linux and what else is needed and how it can be used when using Linux desktop?
Development mode
There are three main development modes: Widget, Quick and Python.
Qt Widget based development is the original (since 1995-05-20), OOP (Object Oriented Programming) and C++ way of Qt programming.
Qt Quick and its QML (Qt Modeling Language) was introduced (2010) as easier and quicker way to create user interfaces. A QML document is, similarly to HTML, a description of an hierarchical object tree. The code structure looks very similar to a definition of a JSON object. QML objects can be styled, similarly to CSS, and JavaScript code can be inlined to handle assertive aspects. If you're familar with front-end web developement you'll grasp QML in no time.[1] - so the Qt Widget programming is the traditional programming where code is written in C++ and compiled to binary, Qt Quick + QML was created to get vast amount of web-developers involved to Qt-developement.
Qt for Python provides both of these worlds, both programming methods can be used in Python language and in less tedious format without compiling the source code.
- doc.qt.io - C++/Widget applications
- doc.qt.io - QML applications
- doc.qt.io - QML application in Python
- Qt for Python
Desktop
Desktop development is straightforward with Fedora Linux, all needed packages exist in standard repositories and main toolchain is available.
Mobile
<html> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WFGRr0DV3oM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </html>
Qt for Python currently (2019-04) is not supported on iPhone nor Android target devices.
Google Android toolchain: Android Studio
Android SDK, NDK (native development kit, C/C++), Java (Linux OpenJDK can be used).
Android Studio download
Apple iOS toolchain: XCode
Development for iOS devices is done using Apple Xcode IDE. To use it, the Apple developer account and iOS Developer Program certificate is needed and received from Apple when joining to the developer program. Certificate is used to install application to a device.
The current Mac OS X relase is High Sierra 10.13.6 (2019-05-20).
Xcode download
Mac OS X installation ISO-image download requires existing Mac OS X installation that came with Apple laptop.
- developer.apple.com - Programs overview
- developer.apple.com - enroll actual steps to get started.
Xcode on Fedora Linux
Xcode runts on Mac OS X operating system that is based on BSD variant. Its binaries and hence Xcode does not run directly on Linux. However, OS X can be run inside virtual machine like VirtualBox that runs on local Fedora desktop.
Apple used to manufacture physical hardware servers and Mac OS X server operating system for them. Since then they stopped both and these days Mac OS X runs on x86_64 hardware and has its plus edition has server features that can be installed on Intel x86_64 hardware.
Xcode on cloud server
There are service providers that rent servers running Mac OS X and provide remote access to it. That might be a feasible solution for most, for some with strict source code privacy, it might be challenging to get proper NDA contract.
Hardware targets via USB
Locally? No idea.
Remotely to Windows or Mac OSX: In theory yes. Fedora's RDP client FreeRDP supports USB-port redirection over IP and some devices like USB-cameras and smartcard readers are reported to work (2019 beginning). However, the forwarding appers to be device specific and Android- and iOS-phones are not supported.
Few notes:
- Fedora's freerdp package needs to be recompiled with -DCHANNEL_URBDRC_CLIENT=ON setting (that is off by default in spec) and reinstalled:
xfreerdp /buildconfig
list of build options.
- In order to work on Windows host must be enabled:
- processor in server must support Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2) run: dxdiag
- MS: RemoteFX USB Redirection
- freerdp - RemoteFX
- run gpedit.msc as an Administrator
- Group Policy Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Remote Desktop Services, Remote Desktop Connection Client, RemoteFX USB Device Redirection: Allow Admnistrator and users
- run cmd, gpupdate /force as an Administrator
- reboot
Examples at Linux side:
/usr/bin/xfreerdp /u:John\ Doe /v:server.example.com /usb:auto
redirect all devices that are connected after session connection.
# lsusb Bus 002 Device 009: ID 05ac:12a8 Apple, Inc. iPhone5/5C/5S/6 . .
/usr/bin/xfreerdp /u:John\ Doe /v:server.example.com /usb:id,dev:05ac:12a8
usb redirection and redirect device 05ac:12a8 (id in lsusb listing).
/usr/bin/xfreerdp /u:John\ Doe /v:server.example.com /usb:dbg,id,dev:05ac:12a8
same as before with debugging.
Messages like:
[WARN][com.freerdp.channels.urbdrc.client] - bus:0 dev:0 not exist in udevman
should be harmless.
Currently this apparently does not work from Fedora desktop to Windows.
See also
References
- ↑ Crash course in Qt for C++ developers referenced: 2019-04-24