Moving Towards KDE: Apple Opens WebKit for External Developers
Apple developer Maciej Stachowiak has announced a new policy for developers of the HTML rendering library Webkit. It will close the gap between Apple developers and external programmers.
The policy will give KDE community members and external developers access to the Webkit CVS. Webkit is a free HTML rendering engine which is maintained by Apple, and is based on the KDE project’s KHTML rendering engine. Apart from in Apple’s Safari browser and on the iPhone, the Webkit, which is available under the LGPL and in part under the BSD license, is used in various projects. Trolltech’s decision to integrate Webkit with QT prompted the KDE community to add new KHTML features to Webkit with a view of possibly porting Webkit.
The port is controversial because the KDE community needs some influence on the development of Webkit to achieve its aims. The KDE team has some doubts about the use of Webkit instead of KHTML, as Webkit depends on Apple’s commercial interests. Apple’ new policies removes these doubts and demonstrates Apple’s willingness to allow external developers to participate in the engine in future.
KDE developer Aaron Seigo welcomes the new policy in his blog, saying that this is a step in the right direction and that the KDE team encourage Apple and anyone with a business interest in Webkit to choose a strategy of trust.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.