[webkit-dev] WebVR on WebKit

[Maciej Stachowiak]

Though WebVR is not the most elegant API for VR, it's a least common denominator, and it seems like other browsers are on board. So I think it's worth at least experimenting with. (Other opinions may vary; this is just my personal view not an Official Apple Position or anything).

I'm guessing the hard work here is in implementing the back ends for specific platforms and achieving good quality.


Please consider reworking your patch to use a runtime flag instead of a compile-time flag. It doesn't seem to meet any of the reasons for using compile-time flags that are mentioned in our Feature Policy <https://webkit.org/feature-policy/ <https://webkit.org/feature-policy/>>. Even with just the stubs, I think it would fit the guidelines for a default-disabled runtime flag. New features should use runtime flags whenever possible IMO.

As an added benefit, if the feature started out runtime switched, it could be tested immediately. I bet there's tests that would be relevant even with just stubs (at least a simple one of checking what classes and methods are present). With runtime flags, you'd be able to have tests in the initial patch.

Regards,
Maciej


> On Aug 2, 2017, at 1:55 PM, Sergio Villar Senin <svillar at igalia.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> some weeks ago I uploaded [1] a patch (based on previous work by my
> colleague at Igalia Zan) which basically adds the IDLs for WebVR 1.1
> spec along with the required stubs and the cmake build configuration.
> As Sam Weining perfectly pointed out, this needs some previous
> discussion in the list in order to go ahead.
> 
> WebVR is an API which provides support for exposing virtual reality
> devices (like HMDs) to web apps so that the info coming from those
> devices could be converted into position, orientation and interactions
> with virtual worlds. Note that for a complete VR experience some other
> APIs would be needed as for example de Gamepad API for controller
> support (some extensions were proposed).
> 
> Although the spec[2] mentions that 1.1 is deprecated it is what
> browsers are shipping initially as 2.0 is still in a "do not implement"
> state.
> 
> Regarding interest from other vendors, WebVR is already supported in
> Edge, Firefox nightly and experimental builds of Chromium. Other
> browsers supporting it are Samsung Internet and Oculus Carmel.
> 
> Our main interest is to eventually have some implementation working on
> WebKitGtk and/or WPE on Linux but obviously there is a lot of cross-
> platform work that needs to be done as well. Our initial idea would be
> to use the OpenVR API as Valve released a Linux version of their SDK
> some months ago. Looks like a safe bet as other vendors like Firefox or
> Chromium already include it in their trees as third party.
> 
> WDYT?
> 
> BR
> 
> [1] https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=174202
> [2] https://w3c.github.io/webvr/spec/1.1/
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