As of the current nightly build (39852), WebKit — the developmental version of Safari, available for public testing — has added the capability to update to the latest build within Webkit.app itself, obviating the need for third party software like NightShift.

The Rumors team has been a very active part of WebKit development/testing since its very first day — just as we are known throughout the industry for being prolific beta testers of both hardware & software.

(If you are a hardware and/or software developer with a developmental, beta, or pre-release product you’d like us to help test — and with your explicit permission, review for our readers who are very interested in such technology — please contact us as soon as possible: rumors@macosrumors.com to make arrangements!)

We do of course use other browsers, notably Mozilla Firefox, for various purposes….but have always been passionate supporters of Safari/Webkit and its underlying technology.

Since WebKit nightly builds have been available to the public, we have always used (and recommended to other advanced Mac users) the third-party utility NightShift.app to scan for and download the latest build on a daily basis.

Now, through what appears to be the popular “Sparkle” auto-update framework (or something very similar), Webkit is able to scan for and update to the latest nightly build either manually or automatically; no need to launch a separate application or even think about it. Approximately every 24 hours, Webkit will grab the latest nightly on its own and this makes participating in the bug-squashing process much easier.

After all, if you are running an out of date build and report a bug which has already been fixed, you’re wasting your time as well as that of the amazing people who work on Webkit in Cupertino — and in some cases, even that of third parties who also contribute changes, patches & fixes to the powerful web browser.

If you frequently use Safari and don’t mind living on the cutting edge — Webkit is actually remarkably stable and reliable for most things, plus you have the opportunity to play an important role in making it even better! — we strongly recommend you start using Webkit.app. We can’t say enough good things about it, and the role it plays in our day to day work can’t possibly be overstated.