QT Widget future roadmap?

In a July 2nd, 2024 post, Herb Sutter, chair of the C++ standard committee, informed that std::execution and Reflection will be part of C+26. The post is worth reading for all Qt c++ developers because he mentions Qt multiple times (search for Qt).

Regarding reflection, he states:
“This is huge, because reflection (including generation) will be by far the most impactful feature C++ has ever added since C++ 98, and it will dominate the next decade and more of C usage. It’s a watershed event; a sea change in C++ . “

“…I hope reflection+generations+metafunctions can replace Qt MOC, COM IDL, C+/CLI extensions, C/CX IDL, all of which exist primarily because we couldn’t express things in Standard C+ that we will now be able to express with this feature. “

This is excellent news for the future of Qt, for all developers using Qt, and for the Qt Company and community that is successfully advancing it. We look forward to using Qt and C++ for many more years to foster innovation.

Our company, like many others, has made significant investments in Qt, particularly in Qt Widgets, which is why we have transitioned to the commercial version. Over the last decade, we have seen Qt Widgets maintain compatibility with various operating systems. There have been some new features, but not much else. Nevertheless, Qt Widgets applications work well on Desktop, WebAssembly, and even on iPadOS and Android tablets. However, on smartphones, while functional, the user experience is limited.

There has not been any significant innovation regarding Qt Widgets. In Qt Company communications, Qt Widgets are sometimes just mentioned. The impression is that this is an outdated technology, becoming obsolete, and not suitable for modern projects.
The Qt Company has focused its main innovation efforts on QML. While we have tried QML for various projects, we have not been convinced that QML could be the successor to Qt Widgets.

Qt Widgets are a truly interesting technology, especially from the perspective of portability and simplicity, compared to declarative frameworks. I have always found it superficial to consider Qt Widgets no longer suitable for an innovative leap forward.

Anyway, Qt 6 fully supports Qt Widgets, but for Qt developers, the big questions remain: Is it still worth developing with Qt and Qt Widgets and bringing existing projects forward? How long will Qt Widgets be supported? Is there any chance of seeing innovation in the Qt Widgets world? What alternatives does Qt offer?

The Qt team is very attentive to the evolution of C++ and the future evolution of operating systems and technology. Therefore, it may be time for the Qt Company to prepare and share a comprehensive roadmap regarding the future of Qt Widgets and their support in future versions of Qt.