[webkit-dev] Removing CSS Custom Filters (aka CSS Shaders)

[Max Vujovic]

Hi folks,

I'd like to propose the removal of the CSS Custom Filters code from WebKit. There has been no active work on the feature for over six months.

Recently, Custom Filters was removed from Chrome because the feature could not meet the design constraints of their compositor (e.g. bounded execution time of shaders).

Around mid-2012, security restrictions were added to the feature [1], which narrowed the range of use cases to mostly vertex shader effects, aka “mesh-morphing” effects. Some familiar examples from native apps include page curls, genie effects, or paper folding effects.

As we gathered feedback from designers, it became apparent that a simpler feature designed specifically for this set of use cases could serve them better than Custom Filters. For example, one big limitation of Custom Filters is the inability to accurately hit test elements transformed by custom vertex shaders. A different feature, specifically designed for mesh-morphing use cases, could support this.

Adobe is excited to continue working with the community to come up with the best solution for this set of use cases.

Thank you,
Max Vujovic 

[1]: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-fx/2012AprJun/0102.html