Mac OS X Lion's Safari is Snappier and More Stable Thanks to WebKit2

Sunday February 27, 2011 9:40 am PST by Arnold Kim

Starting in Mac OS X Lion, we've learned that Apple has started utilizing WebKit2 in their Safari web browser. The advanced version of Apple's Webkit engine was first announced in April of 2010. WebKit2 is described as a new API layer for WebKit that offers both speed and security improvements:

WebKit2 is a new API layer for WebKit designed from the ground up to support a split process model, where the web content (JavaScript, HTML, layout, etc) lives in a separate process from the application UI. This model is very similar to what Google Chrome offers, with the major difference being that we have built the process split model directly into the framework, allowing other clients of WebKit to use it.

For the end user, the result should be a faster and more stable browsing experience. If a webpage crashes or hangs, only that single tab is affected rather than the whole browser. Subjective reports from early end users have indicated that the new Safari seems to run smoother.

Google's Chrome browser introduced a similar sandboxing model when it was introduced.

Top Rated Comments

Orange

136 months ago

Woot

That's why Macs are so cool to begin with, when a program crashes, only that program crashes. Now, only a portion of the program will crash? GO :apple:

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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