C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3

I've been programming in perl for a little while now, waiting to take the next step to c++. This book cought my eye because of the words "Open Source" on the cover. I then saw that Bruce Parens is having a series of books published on a type of open source license. While part of me wanted to wait for it to come out in electronic form because I'm a recent graduate with no job (though an interview... crosses fingers), I really wanted to take full advantage of my unemployed time doing something productive. (Like open source coding) So I bought the book.Initially there are a lot of similarities to the online documentation and online tutorials that you can get from trolltech's site. But that's really just in the first chapter. The beginning of the book is a walkthrough of the programming of a spreadsheet program. There are some bad points however... as a novice programmer, I thought they should have gone over the design process a little more. However, if you are familiar with designing a GUI program and just want to learn how to code stuff in QT and the online docs don't quite cut it, then this is the book for you. While I haven't found any errors yet, I have found that certain things aren't explained all that well. (like this referring to the parent widget... they never really explained that) However, as a novice, I was able to answer all my questions with the online documentation, it just forces you to look up a few things outside of the book.The idea of signals and slots is pretty ingenious and the book covers how to use them quite well. I'm very happy that trolltech gives away qt free to Open Source developers. It's very well put together and I wouldn't hesitate in using it in a proprietary application (after paying appropriate license fees). Being free for Open Source isn't what makes qt popular, being easy and fun to use is. I think we'll be seeing a lot more qt in the future.So if you feel that the online documentation is pretty good and are skilled at using qt's assistant program then you probably don't need this book. However, if you can't find good enough documentation on something like Database connectivity (like me) then this book will really help you.

The book nicely introduces and covers a wide variety of Qt topics with real world examples. The first six chapters provide a very solid grounding in Qt. The standout chapters are the first chapter which provides an easy introductory ramp, the third chapter which covers modeless application development by using a spreadsheet as an example, and the sixth chapter which covers layout management. All of the chapters are worthwhile but those stand out as justifying the purchase price of the book. The writing style is clean and fairly terse so the reasonably advanced reader should get it on the first go, while the beginner may need a pass or two. The shortcomings are minor. There is no reference portion to the book and while I understand that a full reference would add a significant bulk to the book a class reference with brief descriptions for each method would be appreciated. There is one large reference graphic that shows the class structure of the library. Syntax highlighting, especially on the large code fragments, would have been appreciated.A quality work for anyone looking to develop on Qt, well worth the expense.

This book covers the whole Qt 3 programming, from thesimplest "Hello" program up to sophisticated user interaction.Although being a seasoned software developer with several yearsof Qt programming experience, I was able to learn new thingsby reading this excellent book.

First of all, I must say that I pestered Mark hard to write this book. When Mark told me that Trolltech had sanctioned the work and asked me to be one of the external reviewers, I agreed immediately.This book is an ideal way to ease yourself into the joy of Qt programming. You know you've decided to use Qt because of all the good things you've heard about it around the net, and the buzz it creates. Or perhaps you're writing free software on Linux. Or, perhaps you're like me, and use Qt as a competetive advantage in your day job, not feeling one bit sorry for the MFC programmers of this world. Whatever your motive for using Qt, this is a darn good book to own.When you start in a new environment, you need a helping hand because you can feel lost. This book guides you by starting with the basics, that of getting a simple Qt program working, and proceeds to expand its use of the Qt framework as you become familiar with your surroundings.The work takes simple applications and describes, thoroughly, what each section of code does and how it does it. It teaches software reuse by taking components developed early in the book and using them in new applications, extending them as needed.Qt isn't just about aesthetically pleasing user interfaces: Qt is a real application framework, something that deals with files, sockets, and network programming. This book covers it all. From XML, a vital new technology, using both SAX and DOM models, to network programming using sockets. And, if you're so inclined, a portable way to write OpenGL applications.This book also presents a behind-the-scenes view of Qt, and takes time to describe the rationale behind the design decisions made by the Trolltech team.Being completely objective, it would have been nice to enjoy a little more content related to Qt/Embedded and Qtopia, but this is a minor quibble as the target is readers for the desktop product. Who knows, perhaps Mark and Jasmin are already hatching plans to write such a sequel?When I say that every Qt programmer should own this book, it's true. This book won't be shelfware, it's a book that you can use over and over again. And I'm quite sure that this book will now become standard issue for all Qt courses, wherever they are held.Well done Mark and Jasmin!

This is the best book in Qt.I have all of Qt's book but it's best.