Cross-platform application development is getting a boost from Trolltech. The company has launched Qt 4, a new version of its development software.Qt 4 is a C++ application development framework that enables building of applications that that will run on Windows, Linux, Unix and Mac OS X all from the same code base. Major features in release 4 include server-side development for more complex applications, integration with Visual Studio .Net and offering of the Windows version of Qt 4 via open source licensing through the GPL. New, seamless integration with Visual Studio .Net enables .Net developers to build cross–platform applications, according to Trolltech. Extended multi-threading support, meanwhile, makes it easier to build programs that take full advantage of multi-core processing, Trolltech said. Speed and memory consumption have been improved as well. The graphics subsystem in Qt 4 enables building of user interfaces suitable for heavy-duty visualization, Trolltech said.Trolltech offers a dual-licensing model in which the product is sold for proprietary, commercial development or via the GPL for open source development projects. Qt 4 is available now. Software Development