t4mer@notebook

// til · qt · 9 august 2026 · 1 min

TIL: Qt is the toolkit. C++ is the language.

Search results get worse when you ask the toolkit to be a language.

I caught myself saying “I’m learning Qt” the way I used to say “I’m learning PHP”. PHP is a language. Qt is not.

Qt is a framework (toolkit, platform - pick your slightly inaccurate word) for building applications, especially with C++. You write C++. You may also write QML. You use Qt’s modules: widgets, Quick, networking, and so on.

The distinction matters when you search for help. “How do I loop in Qt?” is a confused question. “How do I loop in C++?” or “How do I bind a list in QML?” are questions the internet can actually answer.

I am still learning both. I am trying to stop asking the toolkit to be a language.

Found something wrong?

These notes can be incomplete, or wrong in a different environment. Suggest a correction on GitHub or email me at me@t4mer.net.

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