I don't see how this is relevant. Obviously KHTML is now surpassed by Webkit because most of the development for KHTML was diverted into Webkit + a huge influx of new dev from Apple and now Google. It doesn't remove from the fact that Apple benefited from the work the KTHML guys did. They could have used Gecko, but they didn't, obviously there was something good about KTHML.

it is relevant because apple's involvement was what caused that particular project to become the de facto go-to web rendering engine.

Still, neither GNUStep/NS, KHTML/Webkit, or even the Mach/XNU kernel were native Apple tech. To portray them as that in a "Apple VS. The World" scenario is a bit misleading and presumptuous. Webkit and KHTML are still both mutually beneficial projects.

I don't see where an Apple vs the world argument is made. More like Apple did it's own thing before and no one else cared. Now they are influencing other companies more than before.

Along with WebKit, I'd say that app stores and touch UI are other areas where Apple has been influencing tech in recent years.

I think the leading example of "apple's tech versus the rest of the industry" is the use of usb - which only goes to show how weak the basis of the meme is.

Allenbrunson's point is that WebKit is an example of Apple's influence beyond Apple. You could argue that the choice of WebKit wasn't important to Chrome- that they would have been just as successful had they chose another rendering engine. But they did choose it. And that is either true irrespective of the fact that WebKit is based on KHTML.

I'd argue v8 is a much more vital part of chrome than webkit is.

Why? The performance differences between V8 and JSC/SFX are marginal at this point.

To be fair, V8 kicked of an arms race that has benefited the whole industry.

How so? Squirrelfish was released (at least in source form) in June 2008, V8 wasn't announced until September of that same year. Apple, Mozilla, and Opera were duking it out in public for months before V8 was on the scene.