[webkit-dev] Changes in QtWebKit development

[Benjamin Poulain]

On 9/14/13, 9:21 AM, Andreas Kling wrote:
> On Sep 14, 2013, at 11:24 AM, Allan Sandfeld Jensen <kde at carewolf.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> When "modules" of Qt are put on "maintenance", it is basically a synonym
>>> to "it's unmaintained, just let it die". I am very unexcited about
>>> having one of those in the tree along the live development from everyone
>>> else.
>>> It is unfair for all the ports who put real efforts in the WebKit
>>> opensource project.
>>
>> Previously modules put in maintenance in Qt were already dead because we had 
>> lost the developers during business transitions. This is different, QtWebKit 
>> is still being actively developed and we still have the developers, even if 
>> the primary focus has changed.
> 
> If you were to approach the WebKit project today with a new port with the
> size and scope of QtWebKit/Linux, asking for it to be upstreamed, we’d be
> unlikely to accept it.
> 
>> That said, in all likelihood the Qt port will not remain part of WebKit 
>> forever, ...
> 
> (This being the main reason.)
> 
> Since you already know you’re eventually going to leave, you could just move
> to a branch sooner rather than later. It’s unreasonable to expect WebKit to
> accommodate a port that has no forward-looking interest in the project.

This is also my take on this.

Qt has its own special build system, its own testing infrastructure, and
forces some special needs for the core architecture.
This was fine while Qt was a team player, but here you are talking about
just fixing bugs and selling our expertise on embedded to your clients.
And this would last for as long as you can go away with it.

It is upsetting to see Qt craves to take advantage of the community
while ports like Nix are doing their very best to join the community
without imposing anything on anyone.

Benjamin