Previewing Safari Development With Webkit
May 21, 09:21 am
Just like “wicket” in cricket, WebKit is the name for a few different (but related) things. WebKit is the open-source rendering engine that is used in Safari, yet it is also the name of the application framework that is used by many OS X applications, including Mail and Dashboard. In a more tangible sense, WebKit is also the name of development builds of Safari. Though many are not aware, users can download these builds and run them, essentially previewing Safari development.
WebKit builds look exactly the same as Safari, as it uses the same front-end. The only obvious difference is the handsome gold trim around the dock icon that distinguishes itself from the silver-trimmed Safari icon. But, depending on the build, you might find that it performs differently from Safari. Sometimes better.
For example, recent builds have shown progress in making WebKit Acid3-compliant. The Acid3 test is one of the latest benchmarks for evaluating the compliance of any given web browser to standards. While Safari 3.1 scores only a 75 (of a possible 100) on the test, today’s WebKit build gets 99.
In the past, several now-current features have appeared in WebKit builds ahead of their availability in Safari: resizable text boxes, client-side SQLite, and the Web Inspector, to name just three, all previewed in WebKit builds. Who knows what WebKit users may be privy to next?
Of course, as users of WebKit, you will be doing your part in furthering the development of your favourite browser by reporting bugs as they arise (and they do).
Today’s build can be downloaded from the WebKit development site.
Posted by Chris Fonnesbeck
If anyone is a fan of iCab (also Sunrise and older Demeter) you can run it on webkit nightlies using a little Automator App I made here both Leopard and Tiger variants.
Sadly it crashed during the Acid3 test, but does gain the new web Inspector.