[Webkit-unassigned] [Bug 9468] SIMBL 0.8 crashes WebKit

[bugzilla-daemon at opendarwin.org]

http://bugzilla.opendarwin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=9468


llscotts at fastmail.fm changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|RESOLVED                    |UNCONFIRMED
         Resolution|INVALID                     |




------- Comment #2 from llscotts at fastmail.fm  2006-06-16 10:43 PDT -------
Doesn't make sense.  SIMBL is widely used in the Safari world.  The most
popular use, probably, is the AcidSearch plugin, but it's also used in
SafariSource, Growl, PithHelmet, WebDevAdditions, and many others.  Without
these plugins, made possible by SIMBL, Safari would have no chance to compete
against Firefox in functionality.  I'm a huge Safari fan and have written a
number of blog articles lately stressing the importance of including Safari in
website testing (see http://www.musingsfrommars.org/ ), but the WebKit team
can't afford to take the attitude that because it's a non-Apple, open source
plugin, WebKit is going to pretend it doesn't exist.  That's the kind of
arrogant attitude that really gets users up in arms against a company or group.

AcidSearch is the best search plugin available for any browser today.  Without
it, Safari users can choose Google but nothing else.  Firefox, IE, and Opera
users can all customize that search field.  It's a basic requirement,
especially for the geek types whose hearts and minds you need to keep or win
over.

WebDevAdditions is roughly equivalent to the WebDeveloper plugin for Firefox,
and though I don't use it myself, it adds functionality that's missing in the
browser otherwise.

PithHelmet is one of the only ways to protect yourself against online
advertising if you're using Safari.  Again, I don't use it myself, but I know
it's hugely popular.  Both Firefox and Opera have very good ad-blocking tools.

And on it goes.  

Something happened to the WebKit code about a month ago that broke SIMBL.
Unless WebKit is introducing its own plugin manager against which developers
can write plugins, SIMBL is one of the only tools we've got.  SIMBL is wider
than Safari, as you probably know.  It's used generally to add functions to the
Cocoa framework.  I can't believe none of you on the WebKit team uses a SIMBL
plugin or two..  If you don't, you must be also using Opera or Firefox on the
sly.  :-)

Please look into this one... If you really want to grow the usage of Safari,
you don't want existing users to wake up one morning and find all their SIMBL
favorites not working.  Most of them will have no idea what's going on.  In
fact, if it is deployed as it is in the current WebKit, some future update to
OS X will have Safari itself just totally broken, and I don't think anybody
wants that.

I hope you change your mind.  In the meantime, I will certainly send a note to
the SIMBL developer.  But I'm sure he'll need to work with you all to fix
whatever's busted.

Regards,
Leland


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