Apple announces WebKit2 with Chrome-like process splitting
Apple's big announcement of the day might have been iPhone OS 4, but another reveal that's gone slightly under the radar might actually turn out to be a bigger deal: WebKit2, which now runs browser elements as separate processes, much like Google Chrome. Actually, Apple's devs say it goes a little farther than Chrome, since the process model is built into the foundation so other non-Safari clients can use it. That's pretty wild stuff, considering how prevalent WebKit has become across the mobile space and the fact that Chrome itself uses the rendering engine. No word on when this will all go final, but hey -- it's all open source, and you can actually grab Mac and Windows binaries right now. Let us know how it goes, won't you?
























One word. Awesome.
@tintin220 One word: WTFDTM?
(what the f**k does this mean?)
@tintin220
But will it pass the acid3 test?
@camroncake
I thought webkit already passed acid3?
@tintin220
This is great!
Webkit is open source based on web standards' Google make improvements with there implementation in Chrome and then Apple make improvements in their webkit implementation in Safari.
Now if only Adobe & Microsoft would start supporting standards like HTML5 rather than pushing proprietary plugs like Flash/Silverlight ....
@scottkrk
Flash is a standard. So is Silverlight.
@Dr Blight Flash is not a standard, HTML5 is.
@scottkrk
Except unlike flash Silverlight 3.0 is fucking amazing.
@Anticrawl
Flash and silverlight are both proprietary non-standards. HTML5 is a completely ratified open standard in every sense of the word.
@Jack
I didn't say Silverlight 3.0 was a standard, obviously it isn't an accepted standard. But there is no denying how amazing it is. But HTML 5 will be acceptable for browser gaming and video, even though Silverlight 3.0 is far more impressive in this regard.
@Jack
Last time I checked, HTML 5 wasn't ratified. Its still in development.
@Atkins
Keep saying that to yourself and eventually it'll be true... well not really.
Other than videos, interactive experiences and webpages will not be HTML5s forte.
btw, how's Steve Jobs picture on your wall doing?
@Psyg
"btw, how's Steve Jobs picture on your wall doing?"
Very funny. You should read more about standards.
@tintin220
doesn't IE8 do this?
@Psyg
If by 'interactive websites' you mean 'websites full of distracting ads flashing (no pun intended) around' I'll gladly pass and be happy with my HTML5 browser w/o Flash.
Seriously, what kind of 'interactive websites' are you talking about? You don't need Flash or Silverlight for animated menu's and transition effects you know? And it has been like this for years now, with CSS and JavaScript you can do almost everything, at least almost everything that actually adds to the browsing experience. For fancy animations or games, yes, you'd want to use Flash or something like that, and this will probably stay like this for a while.
@Atkins
Flash is a de facto standard, that will say a standard that has achieved a dominant position.
HTML5 is an official standard.
So in one way or an other they are both standards.
@Jack Bulls*t
stop pulling facts out of your ass. HTML 5 is NOT a standard (as of yet).
@Fez http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/
I'd suggest you guys take a look before saying anything.
@ariarinen Agreed, if you put it that way they are both standards, but this doesn't make them equal: there is a difference:
"Formal standards arise out of deliberations of standards-writing organizations, while de facto standards result from unfettered market processes. Therefore, the formers are of a higher quality and legitimacy, but are slower to develop than the latters."
@Anticrawl I guess silverlight died the day it was released. I mean, they can add many awsome features over there that surpass flash in some areas.
... But hey, noone is using it, and i don't see that change anytime soon... The only time i see my silverlight client in action is on Microsoft sites (quite few) and thoes sites that was paid by Microsoft to use it.
@Jack
But Apple only allows ONE video codec for HTML5 (the one they hold some patents to get royalities). All other codecs are not supported by Apple.
@Atkins
If you bash flash for not having a ISO standard you should keep in mind that objective C isn't either.
What bash applies to flash applies to objective c too, is the bash is abot non standard products.
@newone I was talking about standards and what they are for.
Aside from that:
I bash Flash, because it drives me crazy on my Mac. This is subjective, of course.
@Atkins
Then bash it for driving you crazy, not for being a non ISO standard. If you bash it for not being ISO standard then you should bash Objective C too.
@newone Where was I bashing? I just rectified one comment. And answered another who answered mine. In a very polite and coherent way I think.
Bashing is a harsh, gratuitous, prejudicial attack. I did that where?
@newone Also,
"Formal standards arise out of deliberations of standards-writing organizations, while de facto standards result from unfettered market processes. Therefore, the formers are of a higher quality and legitimacy, but are slower to develop than the latters."
This just means that official standards are always better. But it doesn't mean that de facto standards are always worse. Some de facto standards can be good. So, (this is an example here, not an opinion), Flash can be a bad de facto standard, while Objective C can be a good one.
@Atkins
There are examples of bad official standards like OOXML which is simply a mess. There isn't anything inherintly wrong with flash that would make it bad de facto standard. It is somewhat high on statistics of browser crashes but that is simply for its popularity.
It is said to be powerhungry but is HTML 5 any less demanding if the same functionality is done with it? There are no real world test of it. Ive stumbles only to a one place that implements same functionality with either javascript or flash, and guess what, flash worked better and was less demanding. It was a objest rotating application that worked well with flash but halted with javascript.
The Jobs antipathy to flash has nothing to do with it being powerhungry or unstable. It simply isn't allowed for being a way to importing programs into a closed system.
The proof of this is the restrictions put onto the commodore 64 emulator. Apple is so paranoid, restrictive and afraid that they banned C64s basic inteprator, like you could do something with 64 kilos of basic code. C64 emulator wasnt powerhungry or unstable. It just was a threat to itunes, and banned for it.
@Atkins
What about Quicktime and Dock Connector? Standards too?
@newone True that (about the standards).
About Jobs and Apple's politics - I like to discuss them and most often defend them, but frankly I don't care much, it's mostly to practice my english. So Jobs can say whatever he want.
About the crashes - I am not sure it's about popularity. My Safari dies regularly, my Firefox too. It's a pain, really. And won't it better to have an open standard?
Now, is HTML5 ready? Well, no, but it's also younger than Flash. With the push that Apple is giving maybe we can see a viable alternative to Flash in the not so distant future.
Because, lately, Adobe is getting a bit on my nerves. Don't get me wrong here, I am far from being disappointed, the software works, it does the job etc., but I would like to see some competition. Like Aperture for Lightroom. They add some gimmick features to Photoshop, while it still lacks, for example a decent Brush manager. Stuff like that. And when I see Flash crashing and crashing on my Mac, which is a quite powerful machine, and then some people I work with tell me the same...
@WickedEast I hate Quicktime. Which Dock connector?
@Atkins
Dock Connector = Apple's proprietary connector used on iPod, iPad, iPhone.
@WickedEast What's the problem with that?
@Fez
Hey, I'm one of that statistic! Too bad I also have a flash blocker installed so I don't have to deal with 90%-bullshit-10%-worthwhile-flash-content that is prevalent on the web.
copycat
What does it means for us "average Joe"?
@NextGen Does this mean that (nudge nudge, wink wink NextGen) that we can download a beta RIGHT NOW or must we wait?
@NextGen
If I've understood correctly, this means that when one browser window/tab crashes, it will only crash that window/tab and not the whole browser since each element runs as a separate process.
@NextGen
if some element in a website (usually Flash or some weird Javascript) crashes that tab it will allow the browser to still function like it's supposed to, only that tab will be shut down or reloaded. This is great for folks that open a lot of tabs in the same window.
@BogdanGC @sumea Thanks. Nice explanation. ;-)
@Jake Root
Should be able to get a nightly build at http://www.webkit.org
Except I'm not sure it has the seperate process thing in it.
@BogdanGC If my Chrome experience is any indication, this won't necessarily stop plug-ins like Flash or VLC player from freezing every window and tab your have open.
Hopefully chrome is updated soon-both desktop and android versions.
@B3astofthe3ast
Look at the Chrome 5 beta.
Apple brings another open source capability to the world
@Xega No, wait, Apple is evil, and we must hate them! Them and their relentless innovation and pushing of open standards.
Shit.
@RidleyGriff Wonder what those bashing on Apple on the previous article about Flash(proprietary) would find to say here.
@Atkins
Why do you think they are not posting...
@Atkins -- I think it’s great!!!
Now if they told me that i must write my webpage in sandscript and use only their tools to upload it to the web in order for my page to viewed in Safari? I would say... well nothing because that is ridiculous...
oh wait...
S n double o p d o double g
I'm so stoked about today's news