Editing WebKit (section)

===Split development===
The exchange of code between WebCore and KHTML became increasingly difficult as the code base diverged because both projects had different approaches in coding and code sharing.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1001 |title= So, when will KHTML merge all the WebCore changes? |publisher= kdedevelopers.org |access-date= February 20, 2010 |url-status= usurped |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100529065425/http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1001 |archive-date= May 29, 2010 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> At one point KHTML developers said they were unlikely to accept Apple's changes and claimed the relationship between the two groups was a "bitter failure".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://blogs.kde.org/2005/04/29/bitter-failure-named-safari-and-khtml|title= The bitter failure named 'safari and khtml'|date= April 29, 2005|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150415005639/https://blogs.kde.org/2005/04/29/bitter-failure-named-safari-and-khtml|archive-date= April 15, 2015|df= mdy-all}}</ref> They claimed Apple submitted their changes in large patches containing multiple changes with inadequate documentation, often in relation to future additions to the codebase. Thus, these patches were difficult for the [[KDE]] developers to integrate back into KHTML.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://news.cnet.com/Open-source-divorce-for-Apples-Safari/2100-1032_3-5703819.html|title= Open-source divorce for Apple's Safari?|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090707214349/http://news.cnet.com/Open-source-divorce-for-Apples-Safari/2100-1032_3-5703819.html|archive-date= July 7, 2009|df= mdy-all}}</ref> Also, Apple had demanded that developers sign non-disclosure agreements before looking at Apple's source code and even then they were unable to access Apple's bug database.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://lists.apple.com/archives/Webcore-dev/2005/Jun/msg00009.html|title= WebCore open source changes|access-date= May 14, 2016|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160527125414/http://lists.apple.com/archives/Webcore-dev/2005/Jun/msg00009.html|archive-date= May 27, 2016|df= mdy-all}}</ref>

During the publicized "divorce" period, KDE developer Kurt Pfeifle (''pipitas'') posted an article claiming KHTML developers had managed to [[backporting|backport]] many (but not all) Safari improvements from WebCore to KHTML, and they always appreciated the improvements coming from Apple and still do so. The article also noted Apple had begun to contact KHTML developers about discussing how to improve the mutual relationship and ways of future cooperation.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1049|title= WebCore – KHTML – Firefox: Know your facts!|url-status= usurped|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090210230809/http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1049|archive-date= February 10, 2009}}</ref> In fact, the KDE project was able to incorporate some of these changes to improve KHTML's rendering speed and add features, including compliance with the [[Acid2]] rendering test.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://blogs.kde.org/node/1129|title= Konqueror now passes Acid2|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170621121118/https://blogs.kde.org/node/1129|archive-date= June 21, 2017|df= mdy-all}}</ref>

Following the appearance of a story of the fork in the news, Apple released the source code of the WebKit fork in a public [[revision control|revision-control]] repository.<ref name="kdenews2007-06-05">{{cite news |url= http://dot.kde.org/2005/06/07/apple-opens-webkit-cvs-and-bug-database |title= Apple Opens WebKit CVS and Bug Database |last= Molkentin |first= Daniel |date= June 7, 2005 |work= KDE News |access-date= January 16, 2007 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090715100234/http://dot.kde.org/2005/06/07/apple-opens-webkit-cvs-and-bug-database |archive-date= July 15, 2009 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

The WebKit team had also reversed many Apple-specific changes in the original WebKit code base and implemented platform-specific abstraction layers to make committing the core rendering code to other platforms significantly easier.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/06/12/ars-at-wwdc-interview-with-lars-knoll-creator-of-khtml|title= Ars at WWDC: Interview with Lars Knoll, creator of KHTML|date= June 12, 2007|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080531052913/http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/06/12/ars-at-wwdc-interview-with-lars-knoll-creator-of-khtml|archive-date= May 31, 2008|df= mdy-all}}</ref>

In July 2007, ''[[Ars Technica]]'' reported that the KDE team would move from KHTML to WebKit.<ref name="arsunfork">{{cite web |url= https://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/07/23/the-unforking-of-kdes-khtml-and-webkit |title= The unforking of KDE's KHTML and WebKit |access-date= July 30, 2007 |last= Unrau |first= Troy |date= July 23, 2007 |publisher= Ars Technica |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930075415/http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/07/23/the-unforking-of-kdes-khtml-and-webkit |archive-date= September 30, 2007 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Instead, after several years of integration, KDE Development Platform version 4.5.0 was released in August 2010 with support for both WebKit and KHTML, and development of KHTML continued until 2016 before it was officially discontinued in 2023.<ref name="kde4.5.0">
{{cite web
 |url         = http://kde.org/announcements/4.5/platform.php
 |title       = KDE Development Platform 4.5.0 gains performance, stability, new high-speed cache and support for WebKit
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110314205743/http://www.kde.org/announcements/4.5/platform.php
 |archive-date = March 14, 2011
 |df          = mdy-all
}}
</ref><ref name="discontinued">{{cite web |title=KHTML repository |quote=Removed for KF6, the 'kf5' branch contains the last maintained state. |url=https://github.com/KDE/khtml/tree/6d89b39ddb93aa5b655508c0b5295f3f4db626b8 |website=GitHub |access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref>