[webkit-dev] Kickstarting the migration of platform-specific WebCore source code to Source/Platform

[Žan Doberšek]

Hi WebKittens,

in the 'WebKit wishes' thread earlier this month a desire was again
expressed for WebCore to be platform-independent. One part of getting
closer to realizing that desire is to move all the platform layer code
under Source/Platform.

I've completed two patches while working on doing this for the GTK port.
Bug #110579[1] covers building a static library for all the platform code
(that is, code that is currently under Source/WebCore/platform)[2]. Build
rules are defined in the new GNUmakefile.am that's placed in
Source/Platform. Bug #110330[3] moves all the GTK-specific files that were
previously under Source/WebCore/platform to Source/Platform[4]. There are a
few other such files scattered over WebCore (for instance under
plugins/gtk, editing/gtk) that I did not move - I'm not quite sure why they
aren't in the platform layer, to be honest. Note that there are other
source files the GTK port uses but are used as well by EFL and/or Qt (for
instance GStreamer or Libsoup backends). Those are not migrating as that
would break other ports.

That leads me to the point of this mail - there's no sense of doing this
for the GTK port if other ports (Mac and Chromium as well) don't follow.
I'm not demanding for this to be completed by the end of the next week, but
I'd like some confirmation from all the ports there's still interest in
moving the platform layer code from Source/WebCore/platform to
Source/Platform. While the GTK port relies on EFL and Qt ports for
GStreamer- and Libsoup-related sources, there are still of course files
that are used by all the ports.

I'd very much like to see first the interest and subsequently cooperation
between all the ports to have a part of this wish fulfilled. I hope to land
both patches if there is enough interest expressed in doing this.

Best wishes!
-Z


[1] https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=110579
[2] An additional static library is built, consisting of all the source
files that require GTK as the library might be built twice so it can be
linked against two different versions of the GTK toolkit.
[3] https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=110330
[4] As a note for people that might confront the Autotools build system
when adding new source files to the platform layer, the files are listed in
the GNUmakefile.list.am that's in the very Source/ subdirectory in which
the new file is being placed. For instance, if one was to add a new source
file under Source/WebCore/platform, he or she shall insert the file path
into the proper placing in Source/WebCore/GNUmakefile.list.am. Similar
applies to adding new (GTK-specific) source files under Source/Platform.
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