[webkit-dev] Exporting symbols (was Re: Common build system (was Re: WebKit Wishes))

[Eric Seidel]

I believe that it's a design mistake for WebCore to need to know
anything about it's embedder, more than that there is a defined set of
platform APIs and callbacks which it talks to (which should be the
exact same for every embedder).

(The export dependency dates back to the WebCore/WebKit separation,
which in my recollection was done largely to be able to isolate LGPL
code from the non-LGPL Mac WebKit layer.)

But I believe it is a mistake that WebCore changes need to care about
the possibility that different ports may export functions differently,
or even worse, that different ports may need a different set of
functions exported.

I don't recommend using a more complicated export macro, but rather
finding ways that WebCore doesn't need to care about diverging sets of
exports.

I believe most ports (with the exception of AppleWin/AppleMac) do not
build WebCore as a separate dynamic library from WebKit, which makes
exports a non-concern in the static case.

In my perfect future world, WebCore would be split into many static
libraries, and core-code -> WebKit exports would be a non-issue.  And
of course, no embedder of core-code would ever expose core types, so
no exports would ever need to be marked.


On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 3:38 PM, Alexey Proskuryakov <ap at webkit.org> wrote:
>
> 31.01.2013, в 15:15, Dirk Pranke <dpranke at chromium.org> написал(а):
>
>>> I don't have concrete examples, and I don't know how big an effect on performance increasing the number of exports would have. It's something to keep an eye on, not a reason to avoid trying.
>>
>> I'm not parsing your reply properly -- avoid trying what? A common
>> EXPORT macro that is set as appropriate by each port?
>
> Yes, you are parsing it correctly :)
>
> - WBR, Alexey Proskuryakov
>
>
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