Opera's WebKit patches

March 22, 2013 · by Bruce Lawson

About five weeks ago, we announced that Opera's products would transition to using WebKit. We said "Opera will contribute to the WebKit and Chromium projects. Our work on web standards to advance the web continues."

Obviously, replacing a rendering engine is a huge engineering change, so we've been working flat out, hooking up the new rendering engine, rewriting the UI, integrating new features and testing everything so that you can actually see products. (Have you tried Opera 14 beta for Android 2.3 and above yet?)

But we haven't forgotten our commitment to contributing back. Here are the patches we've submitted to enhance any WebKit-based browser so that they better support CSS:

Bug 15553 - WebKit ignores column-rules wider than column-gap - This patches a bug reported in 2007, and brings WebKit's multi-column support closer to the level of Presto that's in shipping versions of Opera
Bug 112986 - Incorrect error handling for Media Queries - WebKit fails to do correct error recovery for media queries a lot of cases. Not able to balance parentheses and brackets, not able to see valid media queries after an invalid one, and does not return 'not all' for invalid queries
Bug 112549 - monochrome media feature does not accept integer values - The monochrome media feature should accept non-negative integers as specified in the Media Queries spec.

There are also a number of house-keeping patches submitted by Morten to tidy up some WebKit code: Bug 112442, 110123, and 110121.

Morten's currently looking at implementing CSS object-fit and further CSS multi-column improvements. So don't disturb him until those patches land!

As products start to ship, we'll bring you more news of enhancements we're offering back.

Readers' comments 39

Left under the original article, as archived.

dahulevogyreFriday, March 22, 2013 4:03:51 PM
> brings WebKit's multi-column support up to the level of Presto that's in shipping versions of Opera

Is this a joke. Presto had much more features for multi-column than Webkit. This bug is only the tip of the iceberg.
Bruce LawsonFriday, March 22, 2013 4:52:14 PM
Yes, you're right. Hopefully I've clarified that above now.
QuHnoFriday, March 22, 2013 5:05:29 PM
Any chances that Opera does more than bug patching and adds things like e.g. font-size-adjust (DSK-381177 btw.) to webkit even if the normal webkit development doesn't seem to see the need for it?

Those would make decent typography much easier. Multi-column layouting without font-size-adjust somehow feels incomplete ...

If it must be it can be added with a prefix, as long as it is a WD, but I'd love to see some advance in those directions. As long as MS doesn't a**e up, there will be no two required independent implementations that are needed for a WD to become a TR as long as webkit doesn't move too ...
FransFriday, March 22, 2013 9:18:25 PM
I could be busy for a long time listing all manner of things in Webkit that aren't up to Presto's standards. But aside from text wrapping on mobile, my biggest annoyance while using Webkit, as opposed to authoring for it, has got to be its lack of proper display of alternative text and its apparent inability to select text within links.

Assuming Opera's ability to switch loading of images with one button, keyboard binding or mouse gesture is properly preserved, Webkit's behavior would make the web unusable without images.

Or to put it another way: bringing some of Webkit closer to Opera in 2010 is nice, but please don't forget about bringing Webkit closer to feature parity with Opera in 2000.
PengeFriday, March 22, 2013 9:58:07 PM
Originally posted by brucelawson:

rewriting the UI, integrating new features

Please, tell me more about the old features. What will be gone? What will be remain?
theredgiantSaturday, March 23, 2013 4:49:56 AM
Originally posted by Frenzie:

....and its apparent inability to select text within links.....

This. I hate it when I can't select text within links. Please Opera, don't lose this when you switch to Webkit.
Bruce LawsonSaturday, March 23, 2013 10:00:46 AM
Penge, the feature set for unreleased products is still undecided.

theredgiant, Frenzie: noted (and I agree)
MorphdreamerSaturday, March 23, 2013 10:44:24 AM
Originally posted by theredgiant:

This. I hate it when I can't select text within links. Please Opera, don't lose this when you switch to Webkit.

Yes! It might sound like a small thing, but Opera is the only major browser (in 2013!) with "proper" text selection. Inability to select text within link with horizontal movement is very annoying, but there are other issues that make other browsers feel not native to the system. Like when i want to select second and third paragraph from this post in Opera I just have to place mouse pointer anywhere close to it, but if I try to do that in Chrome it will select everything else in the page if I'm even one pixel away from the text. Things like that are pretty jarring since on Windows and Linux it works just as intuitive as in Opera but WebKit feels out of place.
FransSaturday, March 23, 2013 11:04:18 AM
Originally posted by Morphdreamer:

Like when i want to select second and third paragraph from this post in Opera I just have to place mouse pointer anywhere close to it, but if I try to do that in Chrome it will select everything else in the page if I'm even one pixel away from the text.

Interesting. Now that I think about it, back when I switched to Opera 5 or 6 text selection might've been one of the things I liked about it compared to IE5.5, which was presumably closer to present-day Firefox and Chrome.
m910qSaturday, March 23, 2013 1:19:57 PM
Selection in general seems poor in WebKit, selection of links is also one of my noticing annoyances.

Another one is the visual feedback.
It seems to show selection of the whole element, instead of just the text itself.
This thread is a good example. If you select a post, you can visually see a selection under the avatars.
Is this a lot of spaces, tabs or other kinds of whitespace characters? You don't know!
In IE/FF/Presto it's clear what's going on.
JanghouSaturday, March 23, 2013 2:13:03 PM
Originally posted by brucelawson:

the feature set for unreleased products is still undecided.

But it should not throw away the good parts of Opera (presto)

Textselecting in links, showing link url in statusbar when hovering, ease of disabling JS/(user)CSS / Plugins / disbable automatic redirection / url-filter / Opera 9.2 keyboard shortcuts, Info panel / Links panel, fast forward, rewind (please also on mobile)
Please don't delete any of those features, just reorganize all of menu's and settings dialogues, those were confusing.
IMHO consider an easy and advanced menu/toolbar setup. Easy for the noob user, advanced for the developers and power-users. With old Opera new users were confused by the settings and power users liked more.

And please implement multiple `Private universes`, it would be nice to be able to use 3 Google accounts in one browser, or to use Facebook and Google without being tracked by every Like or Plus button. It would make Opera stand-out as a save and secure browser.

IMHO internet banking should be done in a private tab, and it should not share any info with another tab, only with follower tabs.
JimSunday, March 24, 2013 5:23:04 AM
ANIMATED PNG!!!
BinyaminSunday, March 24, 2013 8:13:18 AM
Bruce, there are lots of more where Webkit is backwards to Opera.
For example CSS3 text-overflow:ellipsis handling seems correct just on Opera Presto 12.14 https://plus.google.com/110977198681221304891/posts/ZjdNDSJGAD1
Khaled KhalilSunday, March 24, 2013 5:39:47 PM
No doubt whole the WebKit-sphere will benefit from the involvement of Opera, but will Opera do ?
That's what I really doubt, It will takes time for implementing its algorithms in all aspects where Presto is superior to WebKit, meaning that Opera will actually 'lose' some of its properties for a time, while other WebKit based browsers won't and will gradually gain by the time.
Anyway, while loosing Opera will worsen the overall browsers competition, consolidating WebKit (as a copyleft licensed software) may be positive for the web technology abstractly.
m910qTuesday, March 26, 2013 3:26:34 PM
Bruce is testing the text-selection, yay!
https://twitter.com/brucel/status/316568433108062209

Answer:
https://twitter.com/brucel/status/316571711657111553
AzraelTuesday, March 26, 2013 3:47:17 PM
Originally posted by brucelawson:

the feature set for unreleased products is still undecided.

That's not a good piece of news, not at all. Hopefully you will delay the release of the new version until you'll be able to save / convert most of them.
EricJHTuesday, March 26, 2013 5:33:31 PM
Bruce can you state that it is Opera's intention to copy all functions of the Swiss Army Knife that Opera is to the Webkit based new browser?
ouzowtfTuesday, March 26, 2013 6:14:26 PM
Originally posted by EricJH:

Bruce can you state that it is Opera's intention to copy all functions of the Swiss Army Knife that Opera is to the Webkit based new browser?

He already answered that.
Originally posted by brucelawson:

the feature set for unreleased products is still undecided.
behnam zamiriTuesday, March 26, 2013 10:32:37 PM
in opera beta v14 when I bookmark an address, the icon of bookmark is White. no any loaded icon...
please fix it...
EricJHWednesday, March 27, 2013 3:56:11 AM
Originally posted by ouzoWTF:

Originally posted by EricJH:
Bruce can you state that it is Opera's intention to copy all functions of the Swiss Army Knife that Opera is to the Webkit based new browser?

He already answered that.
Originally posted by brucelawson:
the feature set for unreleased products is still undecided.

Thanks. I must have missed it. Do you have the url handy? Undecided is very disappointing. It has me wondering about the commitment to Opera browser as we know it, a Swiss Army Knife, by the management echelon. It's the very versatile nature that has the potential to make it appealing to the masses while at the same time distinguishing from other browser on the same engine. That is a chance worth a full hearted commitment....There is only but so much difference between Chromium browsers that Opera has the possbility to shine. If strategic planning in time is needed we could think along the line of having crowd pleasing functionality be available from day one while working on the more intricate stuff at the same time and in the slipstream. Opera could present a preliminary roadmap as a token of commitment to its loyal long term userbase (the natural ambassadors of a niche product). The lack of such commitment has me wondering about the future....
ouzowtfWednesday, March 27, 2013 11:23:41 AM
Originally posted by EricJH:

Thanks. I must have missed it. Do you have the url handy?

Its the seventh comment on this page (http://my.opera.com/ODIN/blog/show.dml/59961552#comment105444962)
ahoj1234Wednesday, March 27, 2013 11:38:51 AM
If I can have a small request... PLEASE, really... please...

every single shortcuts should be the same as in Opera 12.1x. Some sh*tty "Ctrl-Shift-T" is good and work in Opera but "Ctrl+Z" is gold etc so don't loose old shortcuts for "new" features...
EricJHWednesday, March 27, 2013 3:19:10 PM
Originally posted by ouzoWTF:

Originally posted by EricJH:
Thanks. I must have missed it. Do you have the url handy?

Its the seventh comment on this page (http://my.opera.com/ODIN/blog/show.dml/59961552#comment105444962)
Thank you. Where is my brain? If you see it please return it to its rightful owner....
oldawyFriday, March 29, 2013 2:30:20 AM
well then i might say the same for fit to width,tabs arranging,master password and private tabs
hopefully they get some attention too i might be greedy here
elationsSaturday, March 30, 2013 3:03:23 PM
I'm not a developer so I'm not sure if this belongs here, but what about tabs cycling or, more specifically,MRU support (the browser remembering the most recently used tabs alowing the user to go back to where they came from by pressing Ctrl+Tab). Chromium browsers don't have an equivalent. Ctrl+Tab has the function of Opera's Ctrl+F6 , switching to the next tab in the tab bar. I don't know how regular Chrome/Chromium users manage, but the more tabs are open the more easy it is to get lost. Unlike regular Chrome users, Opera users are habituated to switch back and forth between recently used tabs with ease and without the need to remember their exact position in the tabs bar and use mouse clicks to get where they want to be. Presumably, many would be missing the former ease of navigation if nothing were to be done about this.
elationsSaturday, March 30, 2013 3:37:35 PM
I mean, there are any number of other features I'd hate Opera loose or, more positively put, stronly want Opera to keep - most of all the to remain as customizable as it is with respect to shortcuts, user interface, mouse gestures, etc . Some of them might not be as essential as they seem because they probably could be implemented quite effectively using dedicated extensions (mouse gestures, for example). But when it comes to basic functionality like this, I'd think most users would kind of expect this out of the box. Quite apart from this, I've found the extension approach to this problem doesn't provide solutions that are nearly as satisfactory as having the functionality inbuilt, be it in Opera or most other browsers. Hey, Windows itself has effetive switching to most recently used Windows via Alt+tab. So Opera's implementation of Chrome/Chromium should have it too, no?
m910qTuesday, April 2, 2013 8:18:09 AM
elations, take a look at this post from Bruce.
https://twitter.com/brucel/status/316574051583811584

The people related to Opera seem to like these features themselves
skopp888Tuesday, April 2, 2013 8:57:06 AM
Originally posted by Janghou:

Originally posted by brucelawson:
Originally posted by [email protected]:
And please implement http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=944252] multiple `http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=1199832&t=1364047947&page=1#comment11125952]Private universes`, it would be nice to be able to use 3 Google accounts in one browser, or to use Facebook and Google without being tracked by every Like or Plus button. It would make Opera stand-out as a save and secure browser.

IMHO internet banking should be done in a private tab, and it should not share any info with another tab, only with follower tabs.
Google is Bad News. Facebook is Bad News. Webkit is shiny, but Bad News. Opera... what are you doing? If Mozilla goes Webkit, I'm going back to WAP. Or gophernet maybe. MAybe will start a new inter-net. Because... [and bookmark this].... next Tw@ttr Bootstrap becomes the de-facto UI of Opera, then before you know it [ok stop recording now] Twitter buys out Opera, or Google does it. In either case they will kill it off. Or Facebook buys it and wraps it around its slimy skin because Fakebook wants to be the Internet. FOSS4LYF. Self-hosting is the way. Alas, Opera Mini is cool (but also the only browser for download on Blackberry... I can't find anything like UC or Maxthon, Dolphin for BB. Why's that?
skopp888Tuesday, April 2, 2013 9:01:07 AM
Originally posted by skopp888:

Originally posted by Janghou:
Originally posted by brucelawson:
Originally posted by [email protected]:
And please implement http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=944252" target="_blank">http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=944252] multiple `http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=1199832&t=1364047947&page=1#comment11125952]Private" target="_blank">http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=1199832&t=1364047947&page=1#comment11125952]Private universes`, it would be nice to be able to use 3 Google accounts in one browser, or to use Facebook and Google without being tracked by every Like or Plus button. It would make Opera stand-out as a save and secure browser.

IMHO internet banking should be done in a private tab, and it should not share any info with another tab, only with follower tabs.

Google is Bad News. Facebook is Bad News. Webkit is shiny, but Bad News. Opera... what are you doing? If Mozilla goes Webkit, I'm going back to WAP. Or gophernet maybe. MAybe will start a new inter-net. Because... [and bookmark this].... next Tw@ttr Bootstrap becomes the de-facto UI of Opera, then before you know it [ok stop recording now] Twitter buys out Opera, or Google does it. In either case they will kill it off. Or Facebook buys it and wraps it around its slimy skin because Fakebook wants to be the Internet.
FOSS4LYF. Self-hosting is the way.

Alas, Opera Mini is cool (but also the only browser for download on Blackberry... I can't find anything like UC or Maxthon, Dolphin for BB. Why's that?
Oh... and what idiot actually saves their banking details into the browser, any browser's storage. Or worse... Xmarks/Firefox Sync formerly known as Ubiquity . Or was it SyncZilla... whatever. Rhetorical question; I know people are stoopid enough to do that.
QuHnoTuesday, April 2, 2013 7:19:25 PM
Originally posted by skopp888:

Oh... and what idiot actually saves their banking details into the browser, any browser's storage.

I ...

... and then I burned everything together with a live system to CD. The browser is completely locked and can only visit my banking sites. I want to see the hacker who hacks that CD.

I hope that will be possible with the C*****m version too.
elationsThursday, April 4, 2013 8:45:31 PM
Am I only imagining it or has the text selection of Chromium browsers improved these days Just ran the latest version of Comodo Dragon and find I can select text much better than ever before. I'm not saying it was necessarily due to the Opera input to WebKit develoopment (Freudian typo, sorry), but what a coincidence (and a very welcome improvement)!
elationsThursday, April 4, 2013 9:01:59 PM
Not within links, though, but generally I find it easier to get selected what I want to. Maybe just imagining.

Thanks for earlier feedback m910q. Seen it only now and will check out at once.
RainyShadowSaturday, April 6, 2013 7:40:28 PM
Hopefully you won't scrap Presto entirely in favor of WebKit...

Best would be to keep Presto as a secondary/fallback engine, so one could switch them on the fly - something similar to the normal/compatibility view in IE.
mgolSunday, April 7, 2013 10:17:46 PM
@RainyShadow: Why on earth would they do this? Keeping two engines compatible with one browser requires resources. Besides, Presto will no longer be developed so it'll become obsolete soon. Why keep an obsolete engine?
Kulakov AndreyWednesday, April 10, 2013 11:52:41 AM
Mail & RSS - all I want from new version) Other features is important too, but this one is indispensable.
MuneerWednesday, April 10, 2013 12:43:41 PM
Originally posted by grcool:

Mail & RSS - all I want from new version) Other features is important too, but this one is indispensable.

+1
Shomari-RBGWednesday, April 17, 2013 7:48:05 PM
I do very much hope Opera keeps its current integration of mail and mouse gestures intact.
ChristophThursday, April 18, 2013 12:53:42 PM
When do you intend to update http://dev.opera.com/addons/extensions/ for Blink?
Are we developers going to get at least some infos about how stuff will work in Opera 14 before the public alpha/beta-phase?
GeoffSunday, April 21, 2013 6:58:34 PM
In WebKit, the XSLT document() function doesn't work with AJAX. I hope you can find a solution to that problem and contribute it to WebKit.