Qt for Symbian

Chapter 1. Introduction and Motivation

Frank H.P. Fitzek, Tony Torp and Tommi Mikkonen

This chapter gives a short introduction to and motivation for the bundling of Qt and the Symbian platform. It will underline the importance of mobile developers in the mobile communication ecosystem and why they should choose Qt for Symbian. The chapter also explains the reasoning why Qt for Symbian is an interesting solution for a wide range of mobile developers – from rookies to experts – using the full functionality of the Symbian platform and enjoying the easy programming style of Qt in combination with its cross-platform capabilities.

The Importance of Mobile Developers

It was at end of the 1990s when mobile phones had become so popular that the question was posed: what will come after mobile voice services? At this time, only a small number of mobile phones were programmable and so it was up to the network and service operators to think about the next killer application – a reflection of the misunderstanding that a single application could attract as much attention as was gained previously by the mobile voice service. It took a while to appreciate that, not a single application, but a large number of heterogeneous applications, such as gaming, utilities, health services and others, would be the only viable solution to attract more customers. Furthermore, there was a common understanding across mobile manufacturers that the creators of the new and appealing services might not just be the network ...