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It would need a good client. WebKit browsers exist on Linux, but almost nobody uses them due to their shoddy support for extensions and general lack of care put

It would need a good client. WebKit browsers exist on Linux, but almost nobody uses them due to their shoddy support for extensions and general lack of care put into cross-platform support. If you've got WSLG or a Linux machine laying around, go try the Epiphany browser - basically what would happen if you ported WebKit to an OS-native GUI with minimal modifications. It's pretty unusable compared to Firefox or Chrome, on every hardware/software combo I try. I'd love to see "Cross-platform Software Dev"-era Apple throw their hat back into the ring, but putting Safari on other platforms is a big commitment if you want to take it seriously.

kitsunesoba 4y ago
GNOME Web seems decent enough for me. Last time I tried using it the main issue was the lack of Widevine and similar DRM… if it weren't for that there's a good chance I'd be using it on my Linux machines because a GTK browser feels a good deal nicer on a GTK desktop than XUL and whatever the UI layer for Chromium is called.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  I like the UI and overall design philosophy, but WebKit seems to be too neglected on Linux to be a reliable experience. The difference in text presentation between GTK/Cairo and WebKit itself was really jarring, and something I'd bet you'd notice on Windows too. That could be fixed with a well-made client, but it's a lot of work that I doubt Apple wants to go through.
  - kitsunesoba 4y ago
    > The difference in text presentation between GTK/Cairo and WebKit itself was really jarring, and something I'd bet you'd notice on Windows too. When Safari for Windows was still a thing, Apple actually ported a good chunk of Cocoa along with it to support it, including text rendering. This meant that while it was still supported, Safari for Windows had some of the nicest looking text of any Windows web browser. Based on Apple's more recent Windows releases which are built around WinUI, if they were to bring back Safari for Windows they'd probably take a more native approach, though.

kitsunesoba 4y ago

GNOME Web seems decent enough for me. Last time I tried using it the main issue was the lack of Widevine and similar DRM… if it weren't for that there's a good chance I'd be using it on my Linux machines because a GTK browser feels a good deal nicer on a GTK desktop than XUL and whatever the UI layer for Chromium is called.

smoldesu 4y ago
I like the UI and overall design philosophy, but WebKit seems to be too neglected on Linux to be a reliable experience. The difference in text presentation between GTK/Cairo and WebKit itself was really jarring, and something I'd bet you'd notice on Windows too. That could be fixed with a well-made client, but it's a lot of work that I doubt Apple wants to go through.
- kitsunesoba 4y ago
  > The difference in text presentation between GTK/Cairo and WebKit itself was really jarring, and something I'd bet you'd notice on Windows too. When Safari for Windows was still a thing, Apple actually ported a good chunk of Cocoa along with it to support it, including text rendering. This meant that while it was still supported, Safari for Windows had some of the nicest looking text of any Windows web browser. Based on Apple's more recent Windows releases which are built around WinUI, if they were to bring back Safari for Windows they'd probably take a more native approach, though.