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
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.