qt vs gtk - who is the winner

b9anders · 2008-05-09 15:57:51

we've all seen plenty of flamewars involving kde vs gnome, vim/emacs, ubuntu vs all other linux, windows vs anyone, but I don't recall ever seeing much discussion about the differences between qt and gtk and what advantages and drawbacks there are to each. Where does qt stand now they've moved to v4 for example, compared to good ol' gtk2? Is there a reason for the seeming pattern that, closed source software aside, only kde really uses qt whilst virtually everyone else falls back on gtk? Why aren't there lighter qt solutions around other than kde as there are with gtk?

iBertus · 2008-05-09 16:03:22

Once upon a time Qt wasn't free software and had some licensing drawbacks that the F/OSS community didn't like. So, GTK+ became the preferred toolkit for people writing GUI software for Linux. Then, the complicate things further, Trolltech relicensed Qt under a dual license the toolkit under GPL for free software users. Some claim this removes any burden Qt may have had, and thus the reasons many people have for not using it. I personally prefer GTK apps because they feel lighter and less touched by some soulless corporation.

Bottom line: Qt is controlled by Trolltech, and so people working on F/OSS software tend to dislike their lack of control with regards to the toolkit. So, GTK+ is used to avoid this trouble.

Last edited by iBertus (2008-05-09 16:05:19)

carlocci · 2008-05-09 18:06:38

As I was more interested in the programming pov, I found these links
http://www.wikivs.com/wiki/Qt_vs_GTK
http://phil.freehackers.org/kde/cmp-toolkits.html
I was actually a bit surprised as I expected to find more studies on the matter, but it looks like the qt vs gtk war is based on fanboyism mostly.

iBertus · 2008-05-09 18:47:32

carlocci wrote:

As I was more interested in the programming pov, I found these links
http://www.wikivs.com/wiki/Qt_vs_GTK
http://phil.freehackers.org/kde/cmp-toolkits.html
I was actually a bit surprised as I expected to find more studies on the matter, but it looks like the qt vs gtk war is based on fanboyism mostly.

Agreed. As I've not written any GUI apps that use either set of libs, I cannot comment on the ease of use for each toolkit.

skottish · 2008-05-09 19:05:06

I know this is a little off from your question, but one thing is that QT developers have a tendency to develop for KDE. For window manager users it makes the choice usually straight forward in terms of usage.

GGLucas · 2008-05-09 19:18:00

.

Last edited by GGLucas (2022-06-24 09:10:46)

iBertus · 2008-05-09 20:31:25

GGLucas wrote:

For me, it's simple, taste, I simply do not like the look of Qt, no matter what theme I use, Qt always feels wrong, of course, I prefer ncurses for most things these days, but I still like gtk better than qt, I also don't like the theming in Qt, whereas gtkrc makes tweaking bits of your gtk theme very easy

Qt always seemed kinda heavy and complicated too me. Many lightweight apps (pcmanfm, rox) use GTK and pretty much only heavy KDE apps use Qt. I think commercial vendors prefer Qt more due to the paid support available from Trolltech. You can't get that from GTK+.

Ink-Jet · 2008-05-09 21:05:12

I've always used GNOME, and I just prefer it to KDE, so I've always sort of leaned towards GTK more than QT - it's more personal preference than anything.

ozar · 2008-05-09 21:32:59

I don't think either of them will die off anytime soon, but I could make do with either of them if that should ever become necessary.

skottish · 2008-05-09 23:08:20

ozar wrote:

I don't think either of them will die off anytime soon, but I could make do with either of them if that should ever become necessary.

I wish I could do that now. I like both QT4 and GTK2 a lot, and have no preference between them. It would be nice just to have one around for a few different reasons, but right now I have a couple applications of each toolkit that don't exist on the other.

moljac024 · 2008-05-09 23:09:12

I too, dislike the look and feel of Qt... it just doesn't seem as polished as gtk to me...I don't know why that is though

Lyceuhns · 2008-05-10 03:49:15

I think GTK is more personalizable, round(?) and "more free".
One year with KDE and QT's apps, after GTK GNOME, GTK XFCE, GTK LXDE.... Today, i can't get back to KDE, it needs salt. ;D

But, i think too that apps GTK in a QT ambient makes no much difference, the opposite makes a lot of difference.

o/

Mikko777 · 2008-05-10 06:04:24

Used to like gtk and gnome but since qt4.4, qt is superior.

Guess its if you like ubuntu you like gtk and if you like more pro software you like qt.
(Seems way better documented too)

SpookyET · 2008-05-10 07:06:22

Qt4.4 looks like kde 4 on linux, like vista on vista, and like mac on mac os x.
You can't say the same of Gtk2.

There are plenty of commercial apps that use Gtk2. vmware, nero, stata.

Qt4.4 is superior. Full Stop. Look at the kde 4.4 presentation at google.

MONODA · 2008-05-10 08:40:36

"Qt4.4 looks like kde 4 on linux, like vista on vista, and like mac on mac os x.
You can't say the same of Gtk2."
but then again kde4 on linux looks like vista. This is one of the reasons I dont like Qt, it copies windows WAY too much. Also, qt now looks a bit like OS X 10.4 since it kinda has a brushed metal look. Dont get me wrong, it looks awesome, just it's been done before.

Last edited by MONODA (2008-05-10 08:46:57)

roodie · 2008-05-10 10:53:37

I programmed a few small programs using both libraries. Somehow I prefer Qt over Gtk. Ignoring politics and looks, just pure code and I am more productive with Qt. This could be biased because I learned Qt first en Gtk+ later. Only thing that bothers me is the precompiling stuff of Qt.

b9anders · 2008-05-10 15:50:26

MONODA wrote:

"Qt4.4 looks like kde 4 on linux, like vista on vista, and like mac on mac os x.
You can't say the same of Gtk2."
but then again kde4 on linux looks like vista. This is one of the reasons I dont like Qt, it copies windows WAY too much. Also, qt now looks a bit like OS X 10.4 since it kinda has a brushed metal look. Dont get me wrong, it looks awesome, just it's been done before.

That's just a theme though and a choice of kde 4, not of qt itself.

stefan1975 · 2008-05-11 05:38:06

well i prefer gnome over kde (perhaps even xfce over gnome) but have always thought a lot of KDE (and therefor QT apps) are superior to their GTK counterparts. k3b>brasero, dolphin>nautilus, gwenview>ristretto, konsole>gterminal, amarok>gstreamer, etc. I do not know if it has anything at all to do with the toolkit they are written in but it is near universal that I like QT apps over GTK while KDE as a WM is not for me, so I run these QT apps under gnome. Another thing I noticed is that somehow QT apps look better under gnome then GTK apps do under KDE.

stefan

neowolf · 2008-05-11 18:11:21

MONODA wrote:

but then again kde4 on linux looks like vista. This is one of the reasons I dont like Qt, it copies windows WAY too much. Also, qt now looks a bit like OS X 10.4 since it kinda has a brushed metal look. Dont get me wrong, it looks awesome, just it's been done before.

That's just the theme for KDE4, and even then honestly Vista hardly invented having a black bar. The actual widgets remind me a bit more of Mac OS X even. Though as said up above, this is one of many themes.

SpookyET · 2008-05-11 18:27:53

stefan1975 wrote:

well i prefer gnome over kde (perhaps even xfce over gnome) but have always thought a lot of KDE (and therefor QT apps) are superior to their GTK counterparts. k3b>brasero, dolphin>nautilus, gwenview>ristretto, konsole>gterminal, amarok>gstreamer, etc. I do not know if it has anything at all to do with the toolkit they are written in but it is near universal that I like QT apps over GTK while KDE as a WM is not for me, so I run these QT apps under gnome. Another thing I noticed is that somehow QT apps look better under gnome then GTK apps do under KDE.
stefan

You can make GTK apps use KDE widgets under KDE. You can't do that in reverse though. Look up GTK-QT.

Obi-Lan · 2008-05-11 19:28:23

Trolltech is nowdays owned by Nokia so I guess we'll see qt in mobile devices in future. Personally I like usually GTK based apps more than QT.

ProzacR · 2008-05-11 21:13:30

I use GTK programs much more than QT.
GTK2 somehow has quite original style; you can look for one second and say for shure that "oh here is GTK2".
And second thing that there is no mix between GTK versions like in QT3/4.

peets · 2008-05-12 20:25:31

alex_anthony · 2008-05-12 21:53:05

ProzacR wrote:

And second thing that there is no mix between GTK versions like in QT3/4.

Not including GTK 1 and 2?
Although it isn't used much anymore.
And not a recent split like QT

Last edited by alex_anthony (2008-05-12 21:53:26)

schivmeister · 2008-05-13 13:01:21

[RANT]Technically, cosmetically, Qt has always been superior. GTK+ was an attempt, and would have remained to be a good attempt, at providing an alternative. But after Qt became free software, that attempt was invalidated.

The reason as to why "everyone" appears to "use" GTK+ is due to licensing concerns. Qt needs payment for commercial usage, so that is one reason. I don't know in what way GTK+ is better, or can be. The centralisation of Qt and KDE is the power behind their powers, and is a crucial point for free software. This way, they work around the apparent issue of decentralisation, but in a professional manner which does not go against core principles. Qt code is well-organised, well-documented, well-planned, well-maintained.

Ask Qt and KDE developers why they chose/choose Qt. For example, ask the Shaman developer. In comparison to Qt programs, GTK+ ones look archaic. Show me any GTK+ software that "looks better" than its Qt counterpart. If you, personally, think GTK+ is better, then you have been brainwashed. I don't blame you, though. Plenty of Ubuntu users are victimised too.[/RANT]

Arch Linux

#1 2008-05-09 15:57:51

qt vs gtk - who is the winner

#2 2008-05-09 16:03:22

Re: qt vs gtk - who is the winner

#3 2008-05-09 18:06:38

Re: qt vs gtk - who is the winner

#4 2008-05-09 18:47:32

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#5 2008-05-09 19:05:06

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#6 2008-05-09 19:18:00

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#7 2008-05-09 20:31:25

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#8 2008-05-09 21:05:12

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#10 2008-05-09 23:08:20

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#12 2008-05-10 03:49:15

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#18 2008-05-11 05:38:06

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#23 2008-05-12 20:25:31

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#25 2008-05-13 13:01:21

Re: qt vs gtk - who is the winner

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