Qt Going GPL

Qt 2.2 is expected to be released under the GPL, a major licensing change that could finally remove one of the biggest arguments in the long-running KDE and GNOME debate.

Qt may be going GPL.

According to reports circulating in the open source community, Qt 2.2 is expected to be released under the GNU General Public License. If confirmed, this would be a very important moment for KDE, GNOME, and the wider Linux desktop world.

For years, Qt’s license has been one of the main arguments in the KDE versus GNOME debate. KDE was built on Qt, but some developers and free software supporters were uncomfortable with Qt’s licensing situation. GNOME, meanwhile, was created partly as an alternative desktop environment built around libraries with different licensing terms.

Releasing Qt under the GPL would remove much of that controversy. It would make Qt clearly compatible with GPL software and give KDE supporters a much stronger answer to one of the oldest criticisms of the project.

At the moment, there is still some uncertainty, and official information from Trolltech may take time to appear. However, the move looks reasonable and would fit the growing importance of free software on the Linux desktop.

If Qt 2.2 is released under the GPL, it could mark a turning point. KDE developers would be able to continue building their desktop environment on a toolkit that is now much easier to defend from a free software licensing point of view.

For users, this may not immediately change how KDE looks or works. But for developers and distributions, the licensing change could make a major difference.

The KDE and GNOME debate will probably not disappear overnight, but one of its biggest and most repeated arguments may finally be coming to an end.