[webkit-dev] setTimeout as browser speed throttle

[Maciej Stachowiak]

On Sep 30, 2008, at 3:06 PM, Mike Belshe wrote:

> Subjective note:
>
> I'm much more worried about sites spinning the CPU accidentally  
> (e.g. they used setTimeout(0) somewhere by accident) than I am about  
> frame rates on games.  Using the clock as your frame rate is super  
> buggy, and sites need to know better.  It won't work now and it  
> won't work going forward.
>
> If you recall - there used to be a "TURBO" button on PCs as they  
> made the switch from 8MHz to 12MHz to address this issue.  Turbo  
> buttons don't exist anymore.
>
> Anyway, this is a personal preference; I have little sympathy on the  
> game front - but more sympathy on the accidental CPU front.

Our attitude towards Web compatibility generally is that if a Web site  
works reasonably in other browsers but does not work in Safari, then  
it is presumptively our bug. That is what users will assume, and  
lectures about how foolish the site developer was tend to have little  
effect. Thus, sympathy or lack thereof for particular use cases does  
not enter into the picture. We should not be making these kinds of  
decisions based on our own personal opinions of the coding quality of  
the site.

Regards,
Maciej