The Servo project is joining Linux Foundation Europe
The Servo project is joining Linux Foundation Europe
Igalia is an open source consultancy specialised in the development of innovative projects and solutions. Our engineers have expertise in a wide range of technological areas, including browsers and client-side web technologies, graphics pipeline, compilers and virtual machines. We have the most WPE,...
Great to see the Servo project getting more support. Having more choice in this space is a very good thing. Igalia keeps doing fantastic work.
It is great to see Servo being actively worked on again. Rust is a great fit for a browser. It may even be a blessing that Servo is free of Mozilla’s corporate interests.
It does not seem that Igalia intends to make a browser out of it though. Hopefully somebody else steps up to make that happen.
What indicates that Igalia doesn't want to make a browser with it? What else is their motivation?
Well, they do not answer the question “what is Servo” by saying it is a web browser. They answer that it is a “rendering engine”.
But ok, you might think the obvious thing to do with a “rendering engine” is to make a browser.
I guess that is why they answer the question “what can Servo do for you?” as follows:
“Servo can be used to build embedded applications with web technologies, such as kiosk interfaces and digital signage. At present, Servo is especially suited to applications that use WebGL or WebGPU, as well as CSS-based applications where the developer has control over how components are implemented. Servo’s layout engine can similarly be used as the basis for Rust-based native UI frameworks.”
Maybe it is just me but “we are making a web browser from Servo” or even “YOU could make a web browser with Servo” seem to be markedly under-represented in those answers.
These are from the pages linked.
I guess my question back would be, “what evidence is there that Igalia plans to make a browser?”.
Maybe now there will be a way to donate directly to servo development.
That was my biggest gripe with it being in mozilla's clutches.They are great at mismanaging money. It feels like they're hold back Firefox on purpose.
Agreed. There is a conflict of interest at the leadership level.
(I said conflict of interest people, when 83% of your funding comes from your main competition it's hard not to have a conflict of interest. Don't tell me how good the people are at heart. It's not about intent it's about capabilities)
Where was Servo all these years? Is there an actual browser built upon it? Firefox still seems to be pure Gecko.
I believe some parts of Gecko is upstream of Servo. Igalia have nice podcast with some of the developerd: https://www.igalia.com/chats/servo
The quantum project that finally made Firefox competent against Chrome was about integrating parts of Servo with Gecko.
Servo was on hold while Mozilla didn’t have the money to fund development. That lasted for several years.