Open C/C++

With the availability of Open C/C++, the S60 platform — the world’s most popular smartphone platform — is now open to a huge number of developers.

Delivering an extensive range of standard C and C++ APIs, this technology is ideal for porting PC applications to S60 devices, as well as creating application engines and middleware.

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What are the benefits?

With Open C/C++, the S60 platform becomes a viable development option for a wide range of developers.

The APIs delivered in Open C/C++ make it easy to port existing PC software to the S60 platform, allowing developers to leverage their investment in code and development-skills to take advantage of the growing market for S60 applications. The APIs also help developers who lack knowledge of the Symbian OS and S60 APIs to contribute application engines and middleware to new S60 application projects.

It's important to note that using the Open C/C++ APIs doesn't put developers at a disadvantage: The performance characteristics closely match those of similar native S60 APIs.

Open C/C++ in the S60 platform architecture

What are the limitations of Open C/C++?

Open C/C++ doesn't provide standard C/C++ APIs for the S60 UI or the S60 application engines, such as calendar, contacts, and messaging applications. To build applications with a standard S60 look and feel, developers will have to use S60 APIs or employ Python for S60. Similarly, to access the standard S60 application engines, Symbian OS and S60 APIs will be required.

In the future, Qt for S60 will also provide a mechanism to create a UI with the S60 look and feel, providing another option for adding a UI to application engines created with Open C/C++. In addition, it's worth noting that the Mobile Extensions for Qt for S60 make use of the Open C/C++ APIs to provide access to some commonly used S60 platform features. Qt for S60 and the Mobile Extensions for Qt for S60 are currently available as technology previews.

What API libraries does Open C/C++ deliver?

The libraries provided by Open C/C++ include:

• C libraries (Open C) that deliver functions from nine well-known standard POSIX and middleware C libraries: libc, libdl, libpthread, libm, libz, libcrypt, libcrypto, libglib, and libssl.
• C++ libraries (Open C++) that incorporate the IOStreams, STL, and Boost libraries.

For more information, see the Open C/C++ Plug-in: Features page »

What's happening to RGA?

After the release of Open C/C++ 1.5, the Real-Time Graphics and Audio (RGA) API will no longer be supported. Developers who want standard APIs for graphics should investigate the Open GL ES APIs provided in the S60 platform. For UI development using non-Symbian APIs, developers may wish to explore Qt for S60.

On which Nokia devices can I run Open C/C++ software?

Open C/C++ middleware and applications with Open C/C++ engines can be run on all S60 3rd Edition devices and S60 5th Edition devices. Devices based on S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 have the Open C APIs delivered in their firmware, and devices based on S60 5th Edition include the Open C/C++ APIs. For all S60 3rd Edition and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 devices, the Open C/C++ Plug-in delivers installation files that add support for Open C/C++ to devices.

See specifications for S60 3rd Edition devices here »
See specifications for S60 5th Edition devices here »

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